AUTHOR: James Lloyd Dulin
PUBLISHED ON: 24 October 2023
GENRE: Fantasy
RATING: 4 Stars
BOOK 2 OF MALITU SERIES
CONVINCING YOU TO READ THIS IN 5 WORDS: Found family, dual pov, dual time-line, character arcs, emotional
Advance Readers Copy provided by Escapist Tours and Author James Lloyd Dublin
MY THOUGHTS
No Safe Haven by James Lloyd Dulin is the book that genuinely marks what we say as a punch in the gut. If you read the previous book, No Heart for a Thief, you know how different the author’s approach has taken. I thoroughly enjoyed book one and was eagerly waiting for book 2. And then came No Safe Haven. The sequel follows our journey from book one without any significant time jumps. And that did help in easing back into the world. The writing was also effortless to follow, and we were slowly back in the world.
We are back with Kaylo and Tayen and are learning more about them with each page. Each story shows us just how Kaylo became the legendary Kaylo. The narrative still switches between past and present, and this time, it is much cleaner to follow. To add, the writing has become much more cleaner. It doesn’t mean the first book had terrible writing, but there is a quality, the richness that wasn’t before that is easily visible here.
To add to what I think, the most vital point in No Safe Haven right now is the emotions. How exactly, you ask? There are so many emotions portrayed in this series. Both freely and in an underlying tone. It is amusing to read various emotions, be it grief, regret, anger, relief, the subtext of survival, frustration. I loved reading them. I know there is a lot of anger, but this shade of rage is also significant.
Along with all this, let’s remember the main themes of the book and just how well they are written. Be it wars or colonialism. There are too many political angels in the book and the best part? We see them in a different light. It’s thrilling to read them.
The Malitu series will be among the top series when it finishes. Once people realise just how well-written and well-planned this series is, there will be stopping. I am also going to keep on reading books by the author James Dulin. The sequel, No Safe Haven was a hit, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, Only a Grave Will Do.
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You can read the review for Mad Sisters of Esi here.
You can read the review for No Heart for a thief here.
