Heart of Defiance (Relentless)

By: Ryan Kirk

Narrated by: Andrew Tell

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

She never thought she could destroy an empire.

When Bai, a young seamstress, wakes up unharmed in the middle of a disaster, her life is destroyed. She has no memory of the event that destroyed her town, but the survivors believe she is to blame. On a quest to prove her innocence, she discovers a secret that threatens not just her life but the entire empire.

On the other side of the empire, a monk named Delun ruthlessly hunts those who seek to destroy the monasteries he calls home. When he stumbles upon a plot that threatens all that he is sworn to protect, he must choose between his two masters: the monasteries and the empire.

As a conspiracy draws both into its tangled web, Delun and Bai must fight to discover the truth behind the lies. Doing so will require courage, determination, and strong allies.

If they fall, so does the empire.

Heart of Defiance is a stand-alone fantasy novel set in the same world as Relentless Souls.

©2019 Ryan Kirk (P)2019 2019

Entertaining follow up to Relentless Souls

Heart of Defiance was a great follow up to the Relentless Souls novel and was quite interesting and entertaining. It takes place in the same universe as the first novel many years later. It mainly follows the characters of Bai and Delun. Bai is a young seamstress who seems to find herself in over her head after a very traumatic experience which leaves her with no memory of the incident itself and all alone. Delun is a quite powerful monk from the Two Bridges monastery that has been sent on a mission to find information on the shadowy organization of the Golden Leaf who has been stirring up trouble recently.

It is interesting to see how things have changed and also the things that haven't since the end of the first novel. It is also very interesting to see what has become of Lei and what he has been up to since then as well. This book contains a lot of action, training and great battles just like the first book but with different characters, motives and a lot on the line. The politics are complicated and the balance of power in the empire seems fragile.

The narration by Andrew Tell is great as always and he does a great job with the characters and story. If you enjoyed the first novel Relentless Souls I would definitely recommend giving this a listen, even if you haven't you could still follow along but wouldn't be as familiar with some of the characters or situations mentioned.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Relentless continues.

This second book of the trilogy brings old and new characters into play together. More of the changes taking place in the gifts of power for the monks and in the land. The story encompasses a greater society and gives purpose to various character's futures. I enjoyed listening to Andrew Tell as he read and gave life ti the words. Again, his reading allowed me to see, in my mind, the amazing battles Ryan Kirk has written. On to the third book.

A very different source of Power

This was a Very Good Story about Bai, a young seamstress who looses Everything, and I mean Everything! After a whole lot of running and fighting, she finds out that it was really her own inner Power that causes the whole thing. A Good Story about what happens when you give a small group of people power over others and how Power really corrupts. I received this Audio book for free in exchange for an unbiased review. Well worth a credit! Great job Ryan!

A decent Asian-themed fantasy

I received a free audio copy from the author with the option of providing an honest review. As the idea of being dishonest is anathema to me, this will in now alter my opinion.

This is the story of Bai, a young woman who wakes to find her village destroyed and many of the people dead. As one does, she automatically assumes it was one of the local monks, who are tasked with defending the various communities, but some are less than honourable (they would give false reviews). The rest of her people seem to believe that she knows something about the catastrophe, and lock her up for questioning. She manages to escape, going on a voyage of discovery that shows that the truth of the event is far more catastrophic. Here’s my thoughts on the audiobook:

This reads (sounds?) like a cross between Mulan and Monkey, without the catchy tunes and insane animal gods. While these would certainly add some flavour, they aren’t necessary to add to the story. It’s set in a world similar to medieval China (or thereabouts), which is run by an order of martial monks. These monks wield some serious magical powers too, meaning regular armies have little chance against them
Bai isn’t just a facsimile of Mulan. She starts as a seamstress, mysteriously taken prisoner by her village after they are attacked by a rogue monk. She is confused, especially as she is questioned very harshly about the events. She escapes, and meets with a monk, Delun. Delun is an honourable monk, and helps Bai discover who she really is, even though there are ramifications for him
This is no mere “Chosen One” tale – there are some other (maybe better) plotlines going on. It turns out the different monasteries have their own ideas about how things should be done. Some of these factions have plans for taking over, and are using illicit magic to further their cause. Then there’s the traditional ruling class who want rid of the monks, not to mention a rebel village. Never a dull moment around here
If I had a gripe about this book, it’s pretty sombre. I don’t expect every book to be Kings of the Wyld, but even a little gallows humour can go a long way. While I can appreciate the momentous events, I find it hard to believe that a group of people can go through a big adventure without any moments of joy or even cracking a tasteless joke. Maybe I missed it
Finally, the audio was solid. The narrator, Andrew Tell (a fine name for a narrator) did a good job, although he won’t be convincing me any time soon he’s a young woman. That being said, he captured the gravitas of the situation, but maybe he also contributed to the serious tone. I would check out his stuff again, as I would with the author.
Verdict
A decent tale, that doesn’t add anything new to the genre, and is a little too serious for my personal taste.I can definitely see it attracting readers of epic fantasy.

So Good!

Heart of Defiance is another expertly crafted tale in by Ryan Kirk. Seriously, this man is a master at Asian themed fantasy. His action scenes are vivid, his world building is complex, and his characterization truly sets his work apart and servers to breathe life into the story. Couple theses things with Andrew Tell’s narration and this audiobook is both entertaining and immersive. I look forward to reading more from this author.
While, I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, it has in no way effected my opinion about this book.

Mailed it in with some woke messaging

I am dissapointed that Kirk couldn't come up with an original story or characters for this second effort. It's Star Wars complete with the weakening of the protagonist from the first book, the female with unbelievable power out of nowhere, and the brooding antagonist that bows to her in the end after seeing the errors of his ways. Very disappointing effort fr
om a writer I have enjoyed in the recent path.