Steel by A.C. Cobble – Review

Published: December 1, 2019

Publisher: Cobble Publishing LLC

Series: The Cartographer #2

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 592 (ebook)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Synopsis:

The fate of empire is to crumble from within. Do not ask when, ask who.

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HOT DANG. READ THESE BOOKS.

But for real, I’ve loved both of the books in this series tremendously and I’ve heard no one else talking about it. I guess I’ll have to get up on my soapbox and shout about it then. The first book swept me right off my feet and this one continues to do the same. The characters, Duke Oliver Wellesley and Sam the priestess have the best dynamic and their banter feels totally natural and not stilted or too scripted. The worldbuilding is quite something and there are countless secrets and mysteries that have yet to be revealed. 

The story picks up not long after the events of Quill, wherein Oliver and Sam had discovered that sorcery was still alive and thriving in Enhover where it was long purported to be dead. In Steel they continue their search for who was ultimately behind those events. Who is the big bad? Well, you’ll find out in short order and spend the rest of the book going “CAN’T YOU SEE, IT’S THIS PERSON YOU TRUST!!!” This really keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire book. 

Because this is the second book I dare not go into great detail about some of my favorite parts because they would spoil things for sure. Oliver and Same traipse off to some new locales but I did hope for more extensive exploration since that’s basically how Oliver has become the wealthiest man in Enhover. I had my fingers crossed for uncharted lands, but that didn’t happen to the extent I hoped it would. Mind you, that certainly doesn’t detract from the quality of the story AT ALL. I just wanted more danger in uncharted tropical (or temperate) locations where they had to face down with native sorcerers to get answers or something. Maaaaan, I really can’t put into proper detail why I love this – setting, character, exciting plot. It’s got everything.

The Cartographer books have cemented their place as one of my favorite series and I’m shocked that some major publisher hasn’t picked it up. As long as the audiobooks keep coming out and the quality stays what it is, I’ll keep reading. Steel had a great set up for a third book but I haven’t seen where a third has been confirmed yet. I’ll certainly be keeping my eye out though