Amie Kaufman, The Heart of the World (Isles of the Gods #2), Allen & Unwin, August 2024, 432 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761067389
The conclusion to the Isles of the Gods duology, The Heart of the World follows a captain’s daughter and a prince as they journey to save the world from the wrath of the god of risk, Macean.
The first book ended with the gods being awakened, a cliff-hanger that I’m sure annoyed a lot of readers (me included). I thought the second book was an effective continuation, kept the same energy of the first and left me satisfied with the ending.
I’ve been a fan of Amie Kaufman’s work since the Aurora Cycle trilogy, a sci-fi series set in the future. This series is vastly different, but it’s a welcome kind of different. I’m a big fantasy reader, and I loved the worldbuilding, the subtle and cosy feel of the magic system in this series. I also adored the character of Keegan, a slightly awkward scholar, whom I found myself relating to on more than one occasion. The romance between Selly and Leander was also beautifully written and built up enough to make it believable. Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will adore this series.
Readers who enjoyed books like the Aurora Cycle, or The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea series by Maggie Tokuda-Hall will love this series. This book is definitely aimed at older readers, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of 14. Amie Kaufman’s writing style is highly immersive, and her prose is beautiful. When reading her books I find myself lost in the world, not noticing the passage of time in the real world.
Reviewed by Izzy Fullerton
