With the Karthian borders open for the first time in over three centuries, Odessa made the decision to leave. But while in a faraway country, Odessa and her companions learn of a terrible force that could be the end of the new Karthia. Upon returning, they find that unrest in Karthia is from more than just a change in rulers.

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Why this book?: I loved the first book in this series, Reign of the Fallen.

I would like to thank the people at Penguin/Razorbill for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t miss the quiz linked after this review! Find out what Song of the Dead magic you have by answering 5 short questions.

(While I do ask your eye color, I also base your answer off a few other things. It doesn’t follow the world rules exactly, but I thought it would be a fun addition to this review!)

Having read and loved Reign of the Fallen, I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to dive into Song of the Dead slightly early. Having fallen for the characters in the first, I couldn’t wait for SOTD to develop them further, along with their relationships and bring in additional characters. The characters are probably my favorite part of this series, and Song of the Dead put a lot development into the familiar characters, but also introduces some really interesting new characters. But I will make one thing clear before I start gushing about the characters: this book (and probably the series) is very character-centric. The plot is there, but it comes in later, and is slowly developed until the very, very end. If you don’t like your books like that, then maybe skip this series.

However, if you love well-developed, diverse, and nuanced characters, please check this series out!

I, honestly, at first struggled with how long it took for the plot to get going, especially because I was well over halfway before things started getting intense. But in between the development and the rising action, the reader gets to see the rest of the world be built up around them. You get to meet more characters, see more lands, learn more about the area and the magic system. A lot of time is dedicated to making sure the world, system, and characters are fully developed, especially the new characters, and it might not work for everyone. With the dedication Marsh put into the development, it made the last quarter of the book so much more hard hitting and impressive. With all of the details she weaves in throughout the novel, when everything starts to come together, it comes as a shock. I knew from Reign that the ending would be intense, but when everything began to add up and reveal the truth, I was not prepared for it. Marsh did a lot to build up the end, and while it took a while to get to the climax, it was worth it.

Sarah Glenn Marsh’s writing, as before, is beautiful. It’s simple yet lyrical, and I just couldn’t get enough of it. She displays the characters in all of their beauty and messiness, and that just made the book so much better. Meredy and Odessa’s relationship is complex and to watch it develop from where it was in Reign to Song was amazing. I’m not sure why, but I also loved how Danial and Simeon’s relationship was developed along with Meredy and Odessa’s. Danial is such an under-appreciated character, and I just wish we could have gotten more of him. I also loved how past characters were still discussed and brought up–more often than not, when characters die, they’re dropped from the narrative as if they didn’t exist. Marsh developed the world realistically, and showed how deceased characters still left their mark on the ones that survived. 

Final Rating: ★★★★★

Overall?

I loved this book, because I loved the characters and how well Marsh built up the world and developed the story all the way until the end. While there were a few lulls, I still loved this one as much as I loved the predecessor, and can only hope that Marsh is able to continue this series, even if we don’t follow Odessa’s story. There is so much potential in this world. While the story took a while to begin, I still loved every minute that I took to read this novel.

Would I Recommend?

If you were a fan of the first, I’m sure you will love this sequel. It was just as amazing, but had so much new stuff added in that it was like reading a new world. You still got the amazing characters, but the world was expanded so much and it was so. good.

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If you’re still here, than you must be looking for the promised quiz that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. If you’re still interested in learning your Song of the Dead magic, than click the below link. (Please be aware though that I bent the rules of the world a little, and eye color doesn’t entirely dictate your magic. I had to make it fun.)

Find the quiz here!

Feel free to tell me what you got in the comments! I got healer, like Danial!

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Interested in Following the Tour?

Week One

January 7 – Bibliobakes – Review
January 8 – Twinning for Books – Listicle
January 9 – A Court of Binge Reading – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
January 10 – Anxious Bookoholic – Creative Instagram Picture
January 11 – Oh Hey! Books – Author Q&A

Week Two

January 14 – The Quirky Book Nerd – Review
January 15 – Dazzled by Books – Creative Instagram Picture
January 16 – Smadas Books Smack – Author Q&A
January 17 – Jena Brown Writes – Listicle: Characters New Year’s Resolutions
January 18 – The Book Shire – Listicle: Gifts the Characters would love or hate

Week Three

January 21 – YA Wednesdays – Creative Instagram Picture
January 22 – Fear Your Ex – Creative Instagram Picture
January 23 – The Fearless Reader – Playlist
January 24 – Novel Knight – Author Q&A
January 25 – The Book Deviant – Review + Inspired by the Book

Week Four

January 28 – The Life of a Booknerd – Favorite Quotes + Creative Instagram Picture
January 29 – The Fandom – Author Q&A
January 30 – Holed Up in a Book – Author Guest Post: Dream Cast + Creative Instagram Picture 
January 31 – Upon the pages – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
February 1 – Pop the butterfly reads – Review + Creative Instagram Picture

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