I would like to thank Anne from Random Things Tours and Harper Voyager for an advance copy of this novel in exchnage for a fair and honest review

Publisher - Harper Voyager

Published - Out Now

Price - £16.99 hardback £8.99 Kindle eBook

The Empire of Songs reigns supreme.

Across all the lands of Ixachipan, its hypnotic, magical music sounds. Those who battled against the Empire have been enslaved and dispersed, taken far from their friends and their homes.

In the Singing City, Xessa must fight for the entertainment of her captors. Lilla and thousands of warriors are trained to serve as weapons for their enemies. And Tayan is trapped at the heart of the Empire’s power and magic, where the ruthless Enet’s ambition is ever growing.

Each of them harbours a secret hope, waiting for a chance to strike at the Empire from within.

But first they must overcome their own desires. Power can seduce as well as crush. And, in exchange for their loyalty, the Empire promises much.

Warning this review contains spoilers for the very good predecessor to this novel The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens — Runalong The Shelves - GO READ IT

A lot of stories are about winning. Beating the evil ones and getting your world back. It is always straightforward if you are stalwart and true and yet how realistic really is that? Often when faced with overwhelming odds a million to one chance will indeed not pay off. But there may be more interesting stories to be found after a major defeat; when you can’t be the person you once were and someone times even the winners find the cost of victory was too high. This is the fascinating scenario played out in Anna Stephen’s latest fantasy novel The Jaguar Path which offers multiple characters all facing the key question - what happens next?

Two years ago the powerful Empire of Song triumped over the Takob people. The Empire enslaved them; took the land and has started to take over the culture. As with so many other people they cannot resist a mix of military might and powerful hypnotic magic provided by the leader The Singer. Now the conquered adapt to life as slaves and property of the conquerors. But empires never stop there is trouble on the borders; intrigue in the capital and no one is ever safe.

Stephens here creates a powerful second act which to put it delicately puts all the core cast and the reader through an emotional wringer. The first few chapters shock us with a two year time jump and we find everyone is in a dark place. The tragedy of the conquered Takob people is keenly felt from a proud; happy and talented people we saw in their own land now transplanted as slaves. They are all in bad places at the start - Lila separated from His husband now fighting in the Empire’s own army feeling torn over a desire to fight back but without power or means to do so; Xessa once a great respected warrior is forced to fight for her life for sport and the riches of her owners and former shaman Tayan is now serving the Empire’s leader The Sunger who now hovers on the edge of madness and as his power controls and steers the Empire trouble is coming. Each character is in regular danger; cut off and having to make choices to survive another day. Stephens make us feel their pain; shame and desperation.

Interestingly the ‘winners’ too aren’t in the best of places either. The ever ambitious Enet still cannot ascend the throne herself; the warrior leader Philos is now stripped of power thanks to Enet’s own political games and the ever loyal spy Ilandeh is now back home but set to work staying close to the Singer and Enet reporting back. There is room for conflict between all the characters and the various paths they all cross create waves of fights; intrigues and betrayals which in the book’s second act that while doesn’t make us all think everything is coming up roses does suggest this Empire is about to have a reckoning.

Stephens creates delicious scenes of intrigue and the plotting of the book as well as many characters is constantly fascinating! Games within games; changes of sides and yet what also impressed me is the emotional hits Stepehens delivers. Xessa’s loneliness; Tayan’s fear that he is being taken under the Singer’s spell and a highlight of the book Lilla - a quieter character in book 1 I think he has one of the most powerful arcs - losing his husband but finding both a new purpose for saving his people and an achingly beautiful potential romance and also act of murder with his new commanding officer Ekon. These scenes carry lust, love and danger that make you care and fear for both characters.

Stephens delivers trademark action scenes with high quality writing; violence and bloody aftermath but we also get a malignant magic taking effect and Tayan’s scenes are often the most troubling. By the end of this novel everything is changed and also yet to be resolved. That final volume is needed soon!

Stephens continues to be one of U.K. fantasy’s interesting epic fantasy authors delivering an intricate and character focused tale of intrigue and power rather than giant battle scenes and people we don’t care about. I am very keen to read more from them and strongly recommend this book!