Suena un poco raro reseñar dos libros en una sola entrega, pero la verdad es que cuando terminé The Collabound sentí que no había leído una novela completa, si no una introducción muy larga de otro libro. Para comprobarlo, me leí enseguida The Hawkling, que es la continuación y mi perspectiva cambió. No voy a decir que se hayan planteado ambos libros como una sola novela que se haya partido por la mitad porque no tengo la certeza, pero es algo que no me extrañaría nada.


Rebecca Zahabi da voz a dos personajes que están en las fronteras de su mundo secundario, no físicamente si no mentalmente. Por un lado tenemos a Isha, una refugiada marcada con un tatuaje Kher que la señala como mestiza, como alguien extraño a quien evitar. Por otro lado tenemos a Tatters, esclavo con su collar de oro mágico a las órdenes de un superior que puede obligarlo a realizar cualquier tarea. Ambos personajes se encontrarán y forjarán una extraña alianza que podría cambiar sus vidas para siempre.

La acción se sitúa principalmente en el Nest, una fortaleza de gigantescas dimensiones que sirve como hogar a los magos y sus aprendices. Y aquí es dónde empiezan a verse las costuras de los libros. Zahabi dota de especial importancia a los combates telepáticos, pero todos los enfrentamientos de los que somos testigos son tremendamente similares. Por supuesto, los variopintos orígenes de Isha y Tatters les dotan de ciertas características que les facilitaran mucho salir victoriosos de estas escaramuzas sin problema. Cansa un poco ya la cantinela de “el elegido”.


Quizá sea más interesante el trasfondo de rebelión que va in crescendo a lo largo de las páginas, con diversas razas oprimidas por los magos con sus poderes, en un trasunto poco sutil de la sociedad actual, cambiando el poder económico por el mágico. Cierto es que en The Hawkling se descubrirán hitos interesantes del pasado que explicarán algunas de las situaciones del presente, pero la intriga no consigue engancharme como lectora y sientes todo el rato que te están escamoteando información por arte de birlibirloque. En una decisión un tanto extraña, Zahabi reduce enormemente la presencia de Tatters a lo largo de la segunda entrega (o segunda parte si damos crédito a mi teoría), dejando una pesada carga en los hombres de Isha, que no sé si es capaz de mantener el tipo durante todo el desarrollo. Y eso que son libros cortos para lo que se estila normalmente en fantasía.

No sé si continuaré con el siguiente volumen de la trilogía porque la autora no ha conseguido interesarme en su porvenir. Es una pena, porque parecía que tenía buenos mimbres y se agradece que los libros no sean tan largos, pero no han conseguido convencerme.

A brilliant sequel to this world. The characters were so fun to root for and I just love the world building and writing style us very easy to digest .

It has taken me a while to get around to reading The Hawkling, only due to the increasing tbr pile. However I have found that this series has a unique magic system and a story which is very different to others I have been reading lately.

It begins right where The Collarbound ended with Tatters doing his usual mind brawling in pubs and Isha is discovering who she is in a World where she has already been marked. The Renegades continue to push causing the high mages to prepare for War including using a captured light born for their own gain. With so many being oppressed it won’t be long until someone has to make a change.

I love the idea of the mind brawling and the different ways they can attack and overwhelm each other. The introduction of Sir Leofric is a perfect villain addition. I was really interested in the story and didn’t want to put the book down but in saying that, not a huge amount happened and we did leave on a similar style cliff hanger to book one. What we did get was huge character development, reveals from the past and more of the khers, which is always my favourite parts in the story.

I think the final part of the story is going to bring so many things together and I have a feeling it’s going to be big. I can’t wait.

Thanks you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

In the previous book we were introduced to a world of magic, with mages ruling supreme over the ungifted and a non-human horned race called the khers. The khers are treated like animals, relegated to a ghetto and their bodies are harvested when they die as their horns have magical properties. Most humans have little to do with the khers, however, Tatters, one of the main characters it not most humans. He’s a collarbound, a mage enslaved with a magical collar that belonged to a long-dead race, although no one knows who he belongs to. Eventually we learned that’s because he belongs to the leader of The Renegades, Hawk, and escaped her clutches.

He’s been hiding safe in the city ever since. That was until a mage from his past turned up with a young woman sporting a hawk tattoo on her face. Isha was living a quiet life on a farm with her family until they were suddenly attacked one day without warning. Bit by bit she unravels the mystery of the tattoo on her face, and realises that it was put there by her mother so that she would always be able to find her. Her mother being none other than Hawk.

By the end of The Collarbound, Tatters had also worked out Isha’s identity. He has spent time with her, introducing her to the kher community, and helped her settle in when she was a newcomer. In The Hawkling as the situation with The Renegades starts to become more dire, the two of them are unsure whether they can trust each other, yet who else do they have to turn to?

While I enjoyed The Collarbound, I remember finding some of the descriptions and world-building lacking. They just didn’t feel as solid as they could be, and this was something I was mindful of when I started reading The Hawkling by Rebecca Zahabi. From the start I noticed that Zahabi’s writing in The Hawkling felt much more confident. The stage had been set in the first book, the players were known, and now we could move onto the action – and boy, did we get onto the action.

When I say action I’m not talking about massive battles; that’s not this type of series. Zahabi has set up her fantasy world around magical duels that take place in the mind, and in The Hawkling she builds upon the foundations she set up in book one. In The Collarbound we mostly just saw apprentices duelling with Tatters in the inn, and this time we get to see how the Masters do it. The level of detail in those scenes is spectacular and Zahabi skilfully brings these scenes to life as if you’re among the spectators watching the duel as it happens.

Everything is so much more refined in The Hawkling, and in a way, it makes me appreciate the way that The Collarbound was written. If Zahabi had given us more detail in the first book I don’t think the reveals in this one would have had as much impact. Instead, we were left with clues, crumbs of information that simmered away until Zahabi was ready to light the spark in The Hawkling. For all the action, The Hawking is a very slow burn with everything coming to a stunning conclusion right at the end – just in time for a cliffhanger!

If The Collarbound interested you, but you weren’t quite sure about continuing this series, I would definitely suggest picking up The Hawkling as the world and story that Zahabi is shaping is getting better and better. I’m really looking forward to the next book, The Lightborn.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It starts right where book one ended, which is good if, like me, you were a little put out by the abruptness of the finale! Unfortunately, this book does the same cliffhanger-finish, which I did start to anticipate as I entered the last quarter of the book, but this does feel a little less frustrating than The Collarbound.

The writing and detail, the world-building, it’s all just as good as the first. Learning more about the backstory was good.

Despite it maybe not quite hitting the heights of the first, it will absolutely make you want to finish out the series.

I found the Collabound intriguing but also a bit confusing. This book is really better: there's more details, character development and world building.
It's a fast paced and well plotted story that left me wishing I could read the last part soon as it ended with a cliffhanger.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I loved The Collar Bound and was excited to be able to read this sequel. It is an engrossing continuation of the story and builds up to another dramatic conclusion ready for the final volume.
The story begins at the point that the previous book ended and we see how the Nest deal with the rebellion. There is a lot more about the political infighting between the mages in this novel as well as the refugee crisis caused by the threatened invasion. Rebecca Zahabi’s world building and character development is excellent and although the pace is sometimes slow because of this, I enjoyed learning more about the world and its past.
As the title suggests, this book focuses more on Isha and I really enjoyed her character arc in this novel. She is no longer the scared apprentice but is a lot more confident and able to choose her path. I loved the relationship that she forges with the Kher and especially her deepening understanding of her tattoo. The point where she begins to see it as something to live up rather than be ashamed of is a real turning point for her.
Tatters is still a key character and his journey through this part of the story had some predictable elements and some that were actually shocking. I can’t wait to see how everything turns out for him.
I really enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on the Kher and especially enjoyed the development of Arushi’s character and how she struggles to fit into her life as a Kher as well as an employee of the Nest.
The ending of this book wasn’t quite as sudden as The Collarbound but has still left me really wanting to read the final instalment as soon as possible.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Orion, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was provided by Orion Publishing Group through Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book.

Rebecca Zahabi is a mixed heritage writer based in the UK. She is best known for her debut novel The Collarbound, the first of three books in the Tales from the Edge trilogy - I reviewed this novel here.
I was lucky enough to have the chance to review an advanced reader's copy of the second book in the series - The Hawkling, and so opted to pick up the first book, which to its credit I could not put down. 

The sequel picks up immediately after the end of the first book where the rebels on the other side of the pass are massing, refugees are arriving in the city sparking worry in the Nest and the mages are still playing their game of politics. One Highmage who seeks power has a captured Lightborn, she is now a slave to do as ordered, but the rebels are aware of the Lightborns and are ready.

The Hawkling continues the story of Isha & Tatters and slowly builds up to a fantastic climax like the previous installment, meaning that it's not constant action which leaves Zahabi with some interesting ways to keep the reader engaged through intricate character development and some more pieces of the puzzle in the characters' arcs. I don't feel like you notice the slower pace as the characters are as engaging as the plot is compelling. I really enjoyed how Zahabi delved deep into Tatter's past and gives you his motivations as it brings forth his secrets and you begin to understand why he is the way he is. Isha is thoroughly fleshed out and feels very real as well, learning more about her past and how she fits into the world she now finds herself in. She has to build new alliances to save the people she cares about and is learning how to navigate the Nest politics. These characters work really well together and it was good to see Isha and Tatters develop their uneasy alliance. I also found the Kher story intriguing and loved how Arushi tries to live in both the world of her people and work for the mages at the Nest. She and Isha have a strained relationship and I found myself admiring the way that Zahabi managed to bring this to life and explore it fully, it made for very compelling reading.

The Hawkling is typical of what you'd expect from a second instalment in what is building to be a fantastic trilogy and I found I couldn't put it down. My only frustration is that there isn't any more of it and that we have to wait another year for the next instalment. Zahabi's mastery of the written word really shines in her ability to bring her characters alive and to leave me both frustrated and elated at the end of the novel!

My experience reading The Hawkling has been an incredible one, albeit very intense as I managed to polish it off in a single day - the only breaks being taken for a good cup of tea! I eagerly await the next instalment in the series and look forward to a good re-read before the next release. 

If you like character-driven fantasy with very interesting magic systems and world, this is the book for you. 
If you would like to read more reviews/book news please visit www.hardbackpaperback.co.uk

I was expecting to be emotionally damaged after reading this book, and I was not left disappointed.

But before we get into that, The Hawkling continues where The Collarbound left off. It's been exactly one year and one day since I read it, but I didn't have any trouble getting back into the story.

The beginning is a bit slower, then the pace picks up the closer it gets to 40% and from that point onward I was unable to stop reading until I finished it.

There are a few key things that happened, but what I enjoyed most was Isha's character development and getting to know the khers even more. I especially love the tattoo lore, it's so easy to understand and very effective.

Speaking of khers, Ka is so cool, I hope Isha ends up with him because they're really cute together. But I won't be upset if we don't get an official confirmation in the third book, because they're already together in my mind.

Now let's circle back to the emotional damage, shall we?

Something happend to Tatters that kept me on edge for a lot of the book. I was so scared for him, would he live or die by the end? If you want to know the answer you'll have to read for yourself.

But then there was something else unexpected at the end, something that had me audibly shouting NO and crying. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had to put down my phone and stare at the ceiling through tears trying to process what I read.

And you know what? I'm choosing to pretend that didn't happen, that character is completely fine and happy and that's it. You will not convince me otherwise!!!

But yes, I am now forever scarred by this moment, thank you Rebecca Zahabi.

The very ending is a cliffhanger that only made me want to scream (again) because leaving us like that is so cruel. The first book had a slightly less anxiety inducing cliffhanger, but this one...I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself now. I gotta wait a whole year AGAIN to see what will happen next.

I am so so so excited to see how it'll all end. I have some ideas about which side could win, but I honestly can't predict anything, which is one of the many things I love about this series.

Fingers crossed the third book is even more painful!!

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

After reading The Collarbound, I was desperate to see how the story continued and immediately snapped up The Hawkling when I could. I'm part of the author's mailing list, and she describes this instalment as "the crux, the centre of that story" and after reading, I have to agree. A lot happens, all quite dramatic and exciting. The characters are getting a grip of things, the past is starting to get revealed, everything feels like it's coming together... and then it unfortunately suffers the same problem as the first book - it ends far too quickly! The Hawkling's cliffhanger isn't as brutal as The Collarbounds, at least, so this middle section doesn't feel as unfinished, but I have once again been left counting down the seconds until the next book is released! I really think this is one book which has been split unnecessarily, and hope that there might be an edition in the future where all three parts can be read at once.

I enjoyed this book, it starts right where first book ended. We learn a lot more about Tatters, Isha and the world. While the plot progresses slowly, it never gets boring.

Like the previous book, it ends in the middle of the plot, which I really dislike. It's rather frustrating to approach sequence resolution, just for it to end right before. One more chapter would have made the ending much more enjoyable. It would be a cliffhanger, but not a frustrating one.

I really look forward to the next book!

I enjoyed The Collarbound last year although I found that it ended a little too abruptly and felt more like half a book than a complete novel. The Hawkling does feel like a complete story and the cliff hanger at the end feels more natural than The Collarbound.

I would have loved this book if there had been a little more plot. There is a great dose of character development but not a lot of story. I feel like I know so much more about the characters, especially Tatters, but I still have no idea where the story is going and how it is all going to play out.

There is some really good character writing in The Hawkling and the characters interact very well with each other. I especially loved learning more about Tatters’ backstory because he really is the most interesting character in the book and I like that it is Isha’s actions that drive most of the story. She makes a choice to push to find out more about Tatters in one of their mind battles, which leads to his arrest, which leads to the rest of the story playing out. That part of the story is masterfully woven.

The problem is, not much else really happens. The overarching plot gets forgotten about for most of the book and only comes up again at the end to set up for the final book. While I do enjoy the character development, I wanted a bit more from this novel, particularly because of the abrupt ending of book one, and I just didn’t get it.

The Hawkling is enjoyable and there is so much potential but it never quite reaches it. I enjoyed the characters and there is a lot of set up for the final book but it was really missing something. It needed more story in this book, or at the very least more world building. Hopefully the final book can pull it back and deliver something amazing, because The Hawkling was just decent and not fantastic.