The Arm of the Sphinx continues on from where we left off in Senlin Ascends. Having managed to escape on the “Stone Cold” Airship and forced into piracy, Senlin has and his crew are finding it very difficult to get by on board the ship that they stole in order to save Senlin’s wife Marya.
Thus with nothing to lose, Senlin along with his crew in tow turn to the mysterious figure known as the Sphinx for help. However, Sphinx is a crafty old fellow who doesn’t do things for others without getting something in return. What will Senlin have to bargain? Will he retrieve his lost wife or is all lost?
When I read Senlin Ascends I was absolutely blown to smithereens at how brilliant it was. Josiah Bancroft has created this world that you want to get lost in. It’s so unique and imaginative that you can picture it in your mind. What I really enjoyed in about the second book is that the story takes a different direction. It’s definitely much more all hands on deck(I’m sorry I had to) in terms of the action elements.
In terms of the character of Senlin, I feel even worse for him. He is going through a lot more in this book as he recovers from a drug induced high and starts seeing his wife’s ghost. I haven’t been this attached to a character in so long. Senlin is such a great character who you can’t help but love due to how authentic and real he is I do hope things get better for him but I doubt it 😅.
I also really liked how that instead of mainly focusing on the the POV of Senlin, the author gives other characters like Adam, Voleta, Edith and Iren a chance to share their POV. I enjoyed this a lot because you get to see how they feel about everything that is going on and it also allows the characters to develop further. They get up to their own adventures and share their own feelings.
Josiah Bancroft gives us a much more deeper look at the origin of The Tower of Babel and the machines the Sphinx has created. Through the Sphinx we find out that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes in the Tower of Babel. It looks as though dark shadows will appear in the next book which will complicate things further. The Sphinx was a fantastic character and had such a strong presence when he was introduced into the story. The Sphinx also had an assistant so to speak called Byron, a metallic deer. Byron was hilarious and I loved how he insulted other characters 🤣.
Overall, the series Josiah Bancroft has created is the reason why I love reading so much. The story, characters, and the world he has created gives my imagination the time of it’s life. As far as sequels go, The Arm of the Sphinx was even more amazing than Senlin Ascends. The action scenes were wonderful and exciting and the way side characters were developed further was great to see. I can’t wait to see what the Hod King(#3) will bring 😊.
As usual I would like to thank the stupendous Angela and Orbit for gifting me a copy. I am beyond grateful for these opportunities to review for Orbit and I thank you infinitely 😊.
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