Review: The Jaguar Path, by Anna Stephens

Second chunky new fantasy in two days, I’m spoiling you all!

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Book Two of the new epic fantasy trilogy by the acclaimed author of GODBLIND.

The Empire of Songs reigns supreme. Across all the lands of Ixachipan, its hypnotic, magical music sounds. Those who battled against the Empire have been enslaved and dispersed, taken far from their friends and their homes.

In the Singing City, Xessa must fight for the entertainment of her captors. Lilla and thousands of warriors are trained to serve as weapons for their enemies. And Tayan is trapped at the heart of the Empire’s power and magic, where the ruthless Enet’s ambition is ever growing.

Each of them harbours a secret hope, waiting for a chance to strike at the Empire from within.

But first they must overcome their own desires. Power can seduce as well as crush. And, in exchange for their loyalty, the Empire promises much.

My Review

There may be some explicir language and spoilers, sorry. I’ve just finished reading this book and I’m a bit hyper.

Thanks to Anne for organising the blog tour and to Harper Voyager for my copy of this novel. If you hadn’t sent me a copy I’d have bought it from Goldsboro Books anyway, to go with my copy of The Stone Knife.

I haven’t actually read the first book. The hardback is a chonker. I have now got and started reading the paperback but it’s not a small book! I thought I’d better make sure I actually read and reviewed The Jaguar Path. I did start reading it so I’ve met Xessa, Lilla and Tayan, and am aware of the political situation at the start of the series. Now I desperately want to know how they ended up enslaved in the Empire. March is relatively quiet on the review front, I might have time to find out then. I will be getting a paperback of The Jaguar Path when it comes out, for completeness.

I don’t know where to start, mostly I want to squeal with excitement and amazement. This novel is brilliant. Firstly, the world is so rich and detailed, and the plot is deliciously complex. The misdirection, the emotional turmoil of all the characters, the mystery of the song! The characters seethe with conflicted emotions, and difficult choices pull them in different directions. The plot drives relentlessly towards a crescendo that left me wanting more. Right now. And that cliff-hanger ending. I know you didn’t kill my darlings, Anna!

Talking of said darlings, let me introduce them.

Xessa, an eja, hated in the Singing City for killing ‘gods’, the Drowned who eat humans and who are worshiped in the Empire as ‘ascended’ Singers. Forced to fight in a circus, she wants to die. I spent the entire novel internally begging ‘you amazing little human, survive, please survive!’. And Osaa returns in great leaps of slobbering joy. Rip some groins open!

Lilla, warrior of Toko, formerly Paw leader, now enslaved Pod leader in the Eighth Talon. Attempting to organise a rebellion among the other enslaved Tokob and Yeloh. Struggling, people don’t respect him because he refused to claim anyone when they were enslave, including his husband Tayan, the shaman. Thinks Tayan is probably dead.

Ekon, Eagle of the Eighth. He’s got secrets. He’s got lies. He’s got at least a couple of hundred murders on his conscience.

I spent 2/3rd of the novel mentally yelling: “Oh my gods! Lilla and Ekon, what are you two playing at!? I’ll slap you both for being ridiculous. You both had to do some terrible things to survive, get over it, kill your enemies and fuck, it’ll make you feel better.” Eventually they do. It’s not that straightforward, thanks to Ekon’s secrets and a rebellion. And Lilla’s self-hate, recriminations and guilt. Like I said, seething emotions.

There are other important characters, including:

Tayan, enslaved in the heart of the Singing City. Passed from Pilos, a general, to the Singer’s consort, the Great Octave, to the Singer. Starts out with a good heart, not sure how long that’ll last. By the end I wanted to slap him silly. Bad shaman, naughty shaman! Let go of the magic and step away from the pyramid!

Pilos, a disgraced general who manipulates his way back into power only to find himself manipulated. Absolutely convinced of the superiority of his own people.

The Great Octave, consort of the Singer, known to be ambitious for the Singer’s position. No one looks deeper and she’s got a lot of secrets hidden away behind a painted screen.

The Singer, Ruler of the Empire of Songs. Blood thirsty, dangerous and probably mad. He wants to usher in the reign of the world spirit and subsume all beneath the song. Tayan and the Singer have a weird relationship.

There’s a spy no one trusts, who slowly realises her mixed heritage won’t win her friends in the City or among the rebellion. There are assorted warriors and shamans fighting their way up the greasy pole of advancement and not being murdered by the Singer. And a random Drowned who seems to have taken a shine to Tayan.

The setting is very heavily influenced by South American indigenous cultures and beliefs. It’s novel and respectfully done. I’m often uncomfortable with people appropriating motifs and cultures from ones they aren’t part of, but I think you can take influences and use that to create something entirely new. I can see where the pyramids come from, and the paint and tattoos, in a general sort of way, but Stephens creates entirely fictional cultures with magic and traditions of their own.

The cover is gorgeous. You know I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, especially on a hardback!

Imperialism and racism are central themes of this novel. I automatically supported the enslaved characters who have just lost everything. I want them to win, they are automatically on the right side of the fight. But it’s easy to jump to conclusions about good and evil, right and wrong; the complexity of the narrative allows the exploration of the conflict for those who have lived under Empire rule for longer, who have had generations to understand the situation they are in and make the decision between seeking freedom and their identity, or living hidden among their conquerors, subsumed into the dominant culture. Some decide to do just that, ignoring the attacks on their identities as ‘no-bloods’ or ‘half-bloods’ or hiding completely and passing as Pecha. Some plot and scheme for generations and it is these hidden rebels that propel the last third of the novel and the rebellion, their own-selves in conflict with their public-selves.

It probably doesn’t need saying, but I should probably remind you all:

• Imperialism is wrong, full stop, totally and without question;
• Race has no biological basis, it’s a social construct that varies by culture, which has done and continues to cause great harm;
• Your ethnicity doesn’t make you better than anyone else;
• Your gods ain’t everyone else’s gods and it’s wrong to push them on people.

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Anna Stephens has worked in a variety of roles over the years, the latest being in marketing and communications for an international law firm. She’s currently living the dream as a full-time writer and hopes never to have to get a proper job again.

Anna loves all things speculative and horrifying, from books to film to TV, and is a second Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate, as well as a keen weightlifter and beginner swordfighter.