The Twisted Citadel: DarkGlass Mountain: Book Two

By Sara Douglass

Tencendor is no more. The land is gone. But a few SunSoars remain, and a new foe walks the world.

In a time of magic and danger, three new heroes have stepped forward—Ishbel Brunelle, priestess of the Serpent Coil; Isaiah, the Tyrant of Isembaard; and Maximilian, the Lord of Elcho Falling. Yet despite their best efforts, the Dark God Kanubai has risen. And worse yet, war approaches—backed by the evil, insidious DarkGlass Mountain, hordes of insatiable Skraelings ravage the land.

While the trio struggles to keep its armies and alliances alive, the SunSoars have their own challenges, including the chance to rejoin the magical Star Dance at long last, and the appearance of the Lealfast, long-lost kin to the Icarii. The Lealfast and the Icarii may be friends . . . or deadly enemies. And as tensions rise between the two races, Axis SunSoar revives his elite Strike Force in a desperate bid to stop the darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061854248

Sara Douglass

Sara Douglass was born in Penola, South Australia, and spent her early working life as a nurse. Rapidly growing tired of starched veils, mitred corners and irascible anaesthetists, she worked her way through three degrees at the University of Adelaide, culminating in a PhD in early modern English history. Sara Douglass currently teaches medieval history of La Trobe University, Bendigo and escapes academia through her writing.

Reviews for The Twisted Citadel

[angevon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the series, but, to be honest, I liked it more than the concluding volume simply because of the ending. It's almost too bad it didn't end here.

The first book ended with Ishbel's dream of the Lord of Elcho Falling turning her world into despair becoming a reality. Now the focus is how she turns that despair into strength.

It would be great if this volume was mostly Maximilian and Ishbel coming to terms with the pain they have brought each other. They've been through so much.

But unfortunately it's not only that. There's politicking and war and infighting and betrayal and it's a lot to slog through. Axis falls in love, of course, and when has that ever resulted in something good? Well, Azhure, of course, but with him there's always a lot of pain before there's any happiness.

Confession: I don't really like Axis all that much. His time in the sun has come and gone. I'm not sure if the series would have been better without him and the Lealfast who seem to be here just to be his nemesis. The whole DarkGlass Mountain series could have been a single-volume standalone if the Lealfast and Axis and the Skraelings were cut out of it. And then people wouldn't have had to read The Wayfarer Redemption series to understand what's going on.

The last hundred or so pages of this book is where the high rating comes from. Elcho Falling is awesome now that they've finally reached it!

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Felt like the middle of a series. The relationships are becoming more and more complicated and the stakes are rising. Ishbel and Maximillian are trying to work out their relationship and the problems with Ravenna and how their firstborn has been killed.It's interesting but definitely felt like a mid-sequence book. Sometimes I wanted less detail and more action.

[bookaddictdiary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I first read Australian author Sara Douglass's Wayfarer Redemption series (or, in the original publication run, the Axis trilogy) in high school and quickly became a fan. I devoured each book as it hit shelves and even stayed loyal through the second half of the series (the last three books). Then the enchanted world Tencendor ended and Douglass moved on to other stories, other worlds. The next novel of her that I picked up was The Troy Game, which I absolutely hated. It was painful for me to read. So painful, in fact, that I couldn't finish the book and vowed after reading it to never touch another Douglass novel again.That was about five years ago.I was recently perusing the new releases at my local bookstore when I saw The Infinity Gate in hardcover. Recognizing Douglass' name, I thought I'd see what she was up to these days. After reading the dust jacket cover, I thought I'd pick up the first book in the series, The Serpent Bride, and see what it was about. Even though I was admittedly a little disappointed with it, I decided to try out the sequel, The Twisted Citadel, mostly because I didn't have anything else to read and it was sitting at the library.And I'm so glad I took the chance. This book reminded me of why I originally became a Douglass fan. The characters are dynamic and emotional, the world is fascinating and original, and the way Douglass tells her story draws me in and leaves me on the edge of my seat, desperately wanting to know more about the characters.In this exciting middle novel in the DarkGlass Mountain trilogy, Ishbel and Maxil struggle with their romance with the added complication of bad omens and a woman named Ravenna who is pregnant with Maxil's child. Meanwhile, tyrant Isaiah and battle-hardened Axis must deal with the evil forces that are overrunning the land and protect it as an even darker force is brewing.So, why only four stars instead of five? The reliance on Axis, Stardrifter and other items from the Wayfarer Redemption series is far too heavy. While it is kind of interesting to see more of the character, the series would have been much stronger if the DarkGlass Mountain characters took the spotlight completely rather than sharing it with Axis characters.

[kendosam · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book almost as much as the serpent bride. I think this is Sara Douglass' best series yet. I thought the ending was the awesome sauce. Ishbelle rocks my socks. Some of the reviews I have read about this series have been negative but most of the negative reviewers havn't read the Tencendor books. I think if you truly want to understand this series you have to read the books that lead up to them.