thelittlebookowl

Title / Children of Ruin

Author /  Adrian Tchaikovsky

Publication Date / May 2019

Genre / Science Fiction

Page no. / 592

Overall Rating / ★★★★

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is the sequel to Children of Time and it is necessary to read that book before reading this one. The first book was one of my favourite reads from last year, so I had high hopes for this book and I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint. I will not be discussing the plot to avoid spoilers.

Like Children of Time, this sequel spans many years and is quite epic in scale. While this does result in an enjoyable reading experience, it also means that it is quite dense due to it being heavy in science. There were definitely things that probably went straight over my head, but I still really enjoyed this book and found most of it quite interesting. In particular, I loved the sections of the exploration of languages and communication. I won’t say anymore though because I don’t want to spoil anything. I definitely think that this book and it’s predecessor will be amazing books to reread, because you’ll pick up on new things each time.

In terms of character, we get to see some familiar faces as well as being introduced to new ones too. All of them are well written with distinct personalities and good development. The story is told from multiple perspectives and Tchaikovsky did a good job at maintaining the flow of the story. The switches in perspective never felt jarring.

The last thing I want to mention is the world building, which is one of the main strengths of this book and it’s predecessor. It is clear the amount of time Tchaikovsky has taken to craft this world and I loved getting to explore more of it in this book.

Overall this was a fantastic book, although I will say that Children of Time remains my favourite in this series. The world building is amazing and the plot was compelling throughout. If you enjoyed Children of Time, then I am sure that you will enjoy this book too. I highly recommend checking this series out. Have you read this book? I’d love to know what you thought. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa