Conquest of the Ten by Kay Macleod Review
Kay Macleod is an indie author from the UK who has quickly become one of my favourites. I’ve read all of her novels and am only a few short stories off reading her entire published library. Her books can be enjoyed by any fantasy nerd and I cannot recommend her enough!
Conquest of the Ten was just another jewel in her crown of writing mastery. Here's my review:
What is Conquest of the Ten?
Conquest of the Ten is the third in the Constellation Saga, a medieval fantasy series about the second generation of people with inherent powers having to deal with a threat their parents didn’t really finish dealing with. Some of their number trained their whole life, some hid their powers from others and some had no idea they were special but the ragtag group has made it this far only to be faced with enemy generals now.
How’s the Plot?
Since the second book we have been introduced to our secondary POV protagonist Damien who offers a unique prospective into the conflicts of the books as he was born on the enemy’s side. Despite this, given their goal is to drain the world of magic and life even he can see that the wants of his family may not be very good and decides to turn against them. He brings some interesting titbits and sympathies to the other side, not only in his opinions but how the other side treats him. How his father treats him is especially interesting as we get to see a softer side of a terrifying enemy that we would never normally get to see if we only had the one perspective.
The original protagonist, Kitty, has a bit of a different time and her romantic interest in another character is growing worrying. It’s not so much of a ‘will they, won’t they’ situation but a ‘should they, shouldn’t they’. They are both people who inherited powers and that power is always passed onto the first born. It is a complete unknown on whether that power would pass down if two people with it were to have a child. It could be lost, and if that is the case the world is doomed as they are besieged by nightmarish enemies and impossible situation the two struggle to toe the line between seeking comfort in each other and seeking something more.
What about the characters?
Characters interaction and dialogue are Kay Macloed’s forte. Witty back and forths, emotional moments all hit so hard that every one of her books plays with my emotions. Not so hard I want to put it down but so hard I might tear up or laugh aloud. If characters act rash or maybe too emo it’s not without cause and as much as you want people to just heroically push through their feelings sometimes, things just don’t work like that and that realness is really what shines with the characters. They develop and they push forward but not without struggle and sometimes sacrifice.
And the Actual Writing?
Brilliant as always. Never too much description but just enough to give you a good idea of what’s going on and I really want to talk about the fight scenes, especially the ones at the end.
There are two battles going on at the end and they are both so cool. Both well written and easy to follow action that brought images to my head two dark souls battles that had me on the edge of my seat. I got mad when we flipped prospective from one to another because I needed to know what happened. Both were important and I was always glad to have updates on the other battle but I could not put this book down during that particular part until the battle had finished. Or at least I kept reading and every given opportunity.
Do You Recommend Conquest of the Ten?
YES
A thousand times yes, I do. And all of Kay Macloed’s books. She is so talented and the perfect author for those into games and fantasy. They’ll make you smile and make you cry but you won’t regret spending time in the worlds she cooks up.