Review by Precious Naiti -- The King of May by Matthew Tysz

[Precious Naiti]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The King of May" by Matthew Tysz.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The King of May is the second book in the series by Matthew Tysz. The events in this book occur a month after the conclusion of the events in the first book, The Turn.

The King of May follows Ashley and Scholar, the main characters as they try to make sense of the new world they have to live in. The two may have vanquished Oak, but they still had many other gods to take down. In their adventures, they find that not all the gods are evil and as bad as they thought and that poses a moral dilemma when trying to decide whether to kill the gods or not. The so-called King of May is a repelling character, physically and otherwise. The book starts with him making a very malicious deal with Princess Justine and his personality is easily reflected in what he requires of her. The King of May demands that his people be constantly dancing in all their activities. He is the god of sunlight but not many people know this and he uses that to his advantage. This king later kidnaps Ashley and asks Scholar to kill Cattleprod in return for his friend. Cattleprod is a powerful man, who with the help of Ella killed Ella’s father and took Interstate.

Ashley and Scholar’s escapades are however made more difficult by the fact that they made some enemies along the way who still want their revenge. Ella for example is particularly filled with hatred for Scholar and wants him dead. After striking a deal with a god named Alden to have the goddess of storm killed, Ashley and Scholar start to become well known as killers of gods and they become feared. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Scholar has to embark on a quest to kill another God named Rigma and has an encounter with Ella while trying to do so. The ultimate fight ends up being between Cattleprod and the King of May and it was an entertaining fight.

I loved a lot of things about this book. Matthew Tysz moved the story at a reasonably fast pace. There was some humor involved here and there which was quite tasteful and I fell in love with how the author painted a picture of each scene which made me feel like I was watching a movie. His description of the King of May especially had me rolling on the floor with laughter. The way the author was able to shed light on certain emotions was moving and at some point, I found myself almost in tears. I was unable to stop reading the book once it started and I finished it in less than 24 hours.

However, there were a few things with the book that I found undesirable. The major fault is that there were too many characters and it was challenging to keep up with all of them. The story is also told from many different perspectives as each character got their chance to narrate and I felt lost at more than one instance. One more thing I disliked about this book is its ending. The book ends on a rather saddening note and maybe the author has more to the story as the series continues so I have not lost hope.

Due to near-perfect editing and how much I loved the story; I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. My recommendation goes to mature audiences as the book contains foul language here and there. Anyone who is intrigued and fascinated by mystical stories will take well to this book. I also recommend for the reader to read the first book in the series before reading this one to avoid confusion.

******
The King of May
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Dimi1]

The book doesn't really predispose you that it's going to have some humor apart from its action. It's really important that you pinpointed the particular positive element. A great review!

[63tty]

It such a captivating storyline. I'd like to read this book.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Thanks for a beautiful review. The cover page is really captivating and intriguing. I love adventures and will like to read this.

[Marcel Cantu]

It sounds like this book does a lot of things right! I feel like books like this can often be overwhelming with new terms and names and places to remember. Thank you for the engaging review!

[Francis Aderogbin]

I felt like this book entails many characters which I might find difficult to keep up with. But the storyline is inviting already. I will like to have a read even with the many characters involved. Thanks for a concise review.

[Bailey Sullivan]

The plot sounds really unique- you made me want to check this book out. Thanks for reviewing!

[Precious Naiti]

The book doesn't really predispose you that it's going to have some humor apart from its action. It's really important that you pinpointed the particular positive element. A great review!

Thank you so much for the positive feedback.

[Precious Naiti]

Thanks for a beautiful review. The cover page is really captivating and intriguing. I love adventures and will like to read this.

The cover page is part of what invited me too.

[Precious Naiti]

It sounds like this book does a lot of things right! I feel like books like this can often be overwhelming with new terms and names and places to remember. Thank you for the engaging review!

You are welcome and thank you for commenting.

[Precious Naiti]

I felt like this book entails many characters which I might find difficult to keep up with. But the storyline is inviting already. I will like to have a read even with the many characters involved. Thanks for a concise review.

Thank you for the comment.

[Alheotuci]

From reading your review, the storyline seems fascinating. Thanks for a well-written review!

[NetMassimo]

I'm currently reading Matthew Tysz's We are Voulhire saga. I'm enjoying it a lot, so I guess after that I'll go on with his other novels. Thank you for your great review!

[smolbird]

I love Tysz's writing style, and a book about god killers sounds like an amazing read! Thank you for the review, I enjoyed reading it.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I agree with your observations and rating. It is a great series, but it contains a combination of hope and despair that is Tysz's specialty. He build great characters, and I think you will also enjoy the next installment. Great job with the review!