The Bitter Crown

By: Justin Lee Anderson

Narrated by: Justin Lee Anderson

A war once held in the shadows now escalates into full-scale revolution in the second novel of Justin Lee Anderson’s epic Eidyn Saga.

The fog of war is lifted and the conspiracy at the heart of Eidyn finally exposed. Now that they know the truth, Aranok and his allies must find a way to free a country that doesn’t know it’s held captive. But with divided loyalties and his closest friendship shaken, can their alliance hold against overwhelming odds? The quest to retake the country begins here.

“An eclectic cast of characters traverse a war-ravaged kingdom as Anderson's cleverly constructed plot winds its way towards a truly unexpected denouement. Rich in action and intrigue, this fantasy adventure with a Scottish flavor is sure to please fans of David Gemmell.” – Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author​

For more from Justin Lee Anderson, check out:

The Lost War

©2023 Justin Lee Anderson (P)2023 Orbit

Finally!

So I picked up the Lost war shortly after it came out, I was sad to see it was the only book out in the series, now we get more. I should note I didn't notice The Author was the Narrator for a hot minute when I did though I was far from disappointed his performance was quite well done. I'm excited to see how the trilogy ends, and I'm interested to see how the magic system works more

Top tier fantasy with superb writing

I don't write many reviews and don't intend to write a long one here. There are lots of elements of the story you could focus on: plot, dialogue, character development, narration, etc.. but I want to focus on just one: the quality of the writing itself. It's simply better than most of what's out there, even when those stories have great characters, action, or plots, It's remarkable this series isn't more popular, given how good it is, and I hope more people will discover and appreciate this series.

Narrator change, but still good.

There's two things when listening to Audible books I really don't care for. One is when the narrator is switched in the middle of a series, the other is when the book's author reads the book instead of hiring a professional narrator. Both of these things happen here with this book. Having really enjoyed listening to The Lost War, I pre-ordered the book as soon as I saw it was available. Despite no narrator being listed, I assumed it would once again be read by Euan Morton, who did a fantastic job on the first book. Imagine my surprise when I sat to listen to The Bitter Crown and the first thing I notice is that the narrator had changed.

I have to say I was disappointed initially by the change, and it took me a portion of this book to adjust. The author, and now narrator, Justin Lee Anderson is no Euan Morton, but I have to admit he does a pretty good job here. There are times that his voices blend together a bit, and it takes some adjustment to get used to the new voices for the characters, but I eventually adapted and enjoyed the story.

As for the story itself, I was excited to get back to the world started in The Lost War. That book ended with a whopper of a surprise revelation, and I was anxious to see how things turned out. Quite a huge mess it turns out, and seemingly every attempt to right the world by our heroes only makes things worse. Anderson is turning out to be a top notch fantasy writer with the The Eidyn Saga series.

Overall, despite the change in narrator and initial adjustment period, I really did enjoy The Bitter Crown. Anderson has a way with flopping things on their head when you least expect it, and it keeps the you engaged. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

excellent second installment in the series.

This was a solid 2nd installment with a fleshing out of the main characters and great pacing that never felt slow or lacked momentum.

excellent narration by the author, and the story was as excellent

SFBO set high standards for this book, and while there were threads that were in danger of going nowhere, they seemed to go to satisfying places. Some pacing issues, and some remaining problems -- the queen is an altogether confusing character, but it was satisfying, especially given the large expectations.

Great story

A new take on a classic genre. Characters are well thought out and interactions between them are realistic. Look forward the next book.

Good book!

Story was good I thought, pretty long, but take the characters from the first book to some interesting places emotionally and physically. I think the author did a fine job narrating, but I do miss Euan Morton, I thought he did a great job.

possible plotholes

I won't say what they are because it's still absolutely worth the read and to say them would bring major spoilers, but let's just say for characters having such knowledge of how drui powers work there's 2 possible ways to solve everything, that have been overlooked. I'm thinking at least 1 of them will come up in the next book. other then that I think reading the book would introduce characters a little better vs listening because alot are thrown at you in big groups a couple times.

absolutely recommend this series for those who like hyper real fantasy with a soft magic system.

A Grand Continuation

JLA does an amazing job narrating book two of the sequel.
Great Expression of emotions and tempo. Unique voices.
Definitely a professional artist.

The story immediately continues from where book one ends. Constant movement from plot point to plot point.
Interesting insights into villains motivations and some good character conflict.

The Characters and Dialogue!

If you haven’t read the Lost War yet, make haste and do so. Book 2 was so good, I’m going to have to relisten to both again. I haven’t listened to The Lost War since it came out. I think I’d get more out of this amazing book if I relistened first but was too excited. The Bitter Crown did not disappoint. Amazing characters you grow to love, and some not. I think JLA does a great job bringing his story to life.