I don’t have many criticisms for this one. At the end of the day we have a novel where the characters and world building are amazingly deep, where the action is pulse-pounding, and where all the elements come together to tell a unique and compelling story. Edwards also excels at writing banter, and the back and forth between Brand and Rune, as well as some of the other characters, is wonderful. It’s one of the things that makes this so addicting. We celebrate at moments and ache at others for each of the characters in this novel. I was particularly impressed with how Edwards deepened the side characters in this novel, giving us some great emotional beats. By this second book, as readers we deeply care for the characters we’re reading about and Edwards continues to deepen them. Edwards is truly gifted at allowing us to feel the pains and joys of the characters he crafts. That emotional impact is probably the aspect of the novel that shines above all others. Edwards prose in this section really brought an element of horror to the novel that was perfectly placed for emotional impact. Speaking of tense action, there is one sequence in the novel that is incredibly creepy and disturbing and shows the effects magic can have even long after the fact. It also provides for some tense action sequences. It’s all very fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It creates some interesting strategies for different points in the story as well. In some ways this is reminiscent of old D&D magic where wizards had to choose the spells they had ready. The way Atlanteans use magic is through storing spells in sigils that can be accessed later. World building with such layering is a strength of Edwards. In doing so it’s not only a fun connection but provides backstory and context to the vast power that the Arcana of Atlantis wield. I loved how, in describing the look of a building, Edwards often appeals to history and gives us a little tease about this real-world building that has shown up in Atlantis. Atlantis itself is an amalgamation of famous buildings and architecture from around the world, and this gives the city a sort of character of its own.

This unique inspiration and world building is one of the many things that stand out about The Hanged Man. As you might have guessed from the titles, Edwards has modeled the setting on the major arcana of the tarot deck.

The story is masterfully told, set in an alternate version of modern-day earth, where Atlantis was discovered in the mid-1900s and this lead to a massive war which saw the original Atlantean island decimated. Both books follow the story of Rune Saint John, the last scion of the fallen Sun Throne, one of the 22 Arcana of Atlantis. Edwards is an engaging, epic tale that doesn’t let you put it down.

The last sun by kd edwards