The Hanged Man

By: K. D. Edwards

Narrated by: Josh Hurley

Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

The last member of a murdered House tries to protect his ward from forced marriage to a monster while uncovering clues to his own tortured past.

The Tarot Sequence imagines a modern-day Atlantis off the coast of Massachusetts, governed by powerful Courts based on the traditional Tarot deck. 

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Throne, is backed into a fight of high court magic and political appetites in a desperate bid to protect his ward, Max, from a forced marital alliance with the Hanged Man.

Rune's resistance will take him to the island's dankest corners, including a red light district made of moored ghost ships; a surreal skyscraper farm; and the floor of the ruling Convocation, where a gathering of Arcana will change Rune's life forever.

©2020 K. D. Edwards (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Great Read

I love the story and character development of the characters. I love reading Rune coming into himself. I loved the slow burn of the Rune and Addam romance. I love the plot intrigue, magical inventiveness and world building behind the story. The amount of tactile details and the narration abilities by Josh Hurley was simply amazing. Every character had distinct voices and I knew who was talking every time.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing writing!

One of the best LGBT contemporary fantasy I've listened to. if you are looking for a great fantasy novel with a gay main character that's well written this it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing!

Even better than the first book!! Great world building and compelling characters. Only wish there was more Adam in the story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

An excellent sequel

just as good as the first volume of the series. Once again story is great without being overly complicated the characters are well drawn and the narration is first-rate. I especially like that the gay characters are part of the story instead of the story. Looking forward to the next volume

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Really liked the first book, Loved the second.

I really liked the first book, I loved the second. I was engaged within the first 10 minutes and found it hard to put down. The fantasy world of magic is complex and flawed enough to feel real. Each of the characters has an interesting if not tortured past that brings them together nicely.

Josh Hurley does an excellent job.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Very Best!

These are some of the best books I've ever read.
There is so much going on, yet he manages not to loose the reader.

K.D.E is a born writer, cause this stuff is just amazing!!
I'm very impatiently waiting for the next book to come out
It's going to be Good!!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

10 out of 10

I really love this series it’s not over sexualize and I like that it’s more action than that sex. Really great book I would recommend this book to a lot of people!!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazing second book

This the second book in the series and is absolutely amazing. A lot of people talk about how this series is dark and I'll admit that there are parts that are dark, especially when they talk of the past. Though its filled with humor and laughter as well. While not going into specifics this book is amazing there is action, mystery and characters that you grow to love. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good book about magic or urban fantasy. Cant wait for the next one.

Excellent!

I greatly enjoyed Josh's performance, and K. D.'s story was magnificent. I wonder if there's another in the series that's in the works. I'll seek out this author and this performer again!

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

So good :)

This is an amazing addition to the the first book of the series. I feel so connect to the characters after finishing. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

the narrator is the best I’ve ever heard

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review (but i also have it pre-ordered like, twice, so you can really honestly believe me when i tell you i love this freaking book).

PSA: if you haven’t read The Last Sun yet, don’t read this because there are minor spoilers kind of for the first book. There are also minor spoilers for The Hanged Man too.

Once every so often there comes a moment when something enters your life and takes you on a path you never could have imagined. One day in January last year I listened to The Last Sun on a whim, because it looked cool, it had good reviews and a talented narrator. I had no way of knowing that a year later i'd be taking part in a street team quest dedicated to promoting it. I didn't know all the cool people I'd meet, all the art we'd produce as a team, as a fandom on the whole. I've been in a lot of fandoms in my life, and created a lot of content, but i have never been as enthralled and caught by a book series as i have this one. I won't talk more about the street team, as tempting as it is, but if you want to learn more check out KD's twitter, it's full of great things!

On with the show.

The Hanged Man is a revelation. There is so much world building going on, so much detail added to an already detail rich world, that I know i'm going to have to read it a few times (which, hey, works out! I will have like four copies by the end of this haha). The additional information we got about the sun court, about the companion bond, about the other Arcanas... I can't even put into words. There are things that happen in this book that I kind of assumed would happen but like, four books down the line, and they were done so well too, so smoothly that even though I didn't expect them, I didn't question them, but i'm not going to spoil anything within this review because this book is a book you have to experience yourself. Trust me.

The action and fight scenes are some of the most well written, fast paced, heart pounding action scenes I’ve ever read. Ever time a fight came up or a chase occurred I was absolutely glued to the page. This was present in The Last Sun as well and it’s one of my favourite aspects of the series as a whole. As with The Last Sun though, despite the action scenes trying to steal the show, it’s the relationships and the characters in The Hanged Man that are a major driving force and the central reason as to why it shines so brightly.

Rune and Brand will always have a major share holder place in my heart, but there is an entire cast now vying for positions. Quinn and Max continue to be so freaking adorable and brave and smart that I could cry. Quinn's character arc in this book especially is so so good? Addam is just?? Such a pure soul? Such a kind person? I cannot get over how he's a real character that we get to enjoy and treasure. Lord Tower is. Well. You guys know how he is but he has some moments in this book that made me a lot less suspicious of him and a lot MORE suspicious of him at the same time. He is a conundrum but i love him. Mayan got more of a role too, and I loved every part of it! Queenie is still in the background a little and I'm convinced she has secrets!!!! If she does, I can't wait to see what they are. I loved Lady Death!! I hope she's sticking around she is super cool and almost exactly what I was hoping her to be.

Also, the introduction of Anna, Corbie and Layne was so well done! I won't say much here for fear of spoilers bc there are some BIG ones but I can't wait to see how things in that area progress.

But talking of Rune and Brand... oh my god. I will never get over their bond. Never. It's impossible. They're?? Everything?? There were moments in this book when they made me laugh and moments when they made me cry and moments where I wanted to scream. I still ship it to high heavens. Friends to lovers trope is like, the best invention ever, and I'm holding out for some lovely polyamory because i've long believed that the best way to end a love triangle is to involve everyone! More people more fun amiright??? (can u tell its 1:15am dear lord) but whether or not anything will come of that only time will tell. Either way, romantic or platonic, nothing will rival their love for each other and that is the foundation of this series. The most solid, well built foundation ever.

Rune is just. So powerful. And so wonderful. His progression through two books alone is awe inspiring, i can't even think about where we're going to be another three or four books down the line. I love how powerful and confident he is, I love that he knows his strength, that he knows when to play certain trump cards. KD knows how to do character development, he's shown this time and time again, and oh my god I cannot wait to see what Rune becomes.

So, where do we stand. Sometimes you read a book and you don't worry about the characters because you know they'll be fine, but i am constantly worrying about everyone, because the writing feels like it's real, like you're living it, like you're watching people you care about face off against such high odds. I have my theories about where aspects of this series will go but I also very much doubt whether any of them are correct, because KD is playing the long game and I am but a lowly sleep deprived reader, but i am so so excited to go on this journey. I can't wait to see where it takes us. I could prattle on for another five hundred paragraphs about how much i loved this book, but i think i've said all that needed saying, so i'll leave it at this. Read this book, folks, you won't regret it.