Red Seas Under Red Skies

After a my unfortunate run of unimpressive reads, this finally felt like coming home. I've put off reading this book for a while because I loved the first book so much I didn't want to ruin my memories of it, but those worries were proven to be unfounded. The second instalment to the Gentleman Bastards series is just as fantastic as the first.

A heist story in a fantasy setting done RIGHT.

How Scott Lynch balances intrigue, suspense, drama, and humour so masterfully is beyond me.

The structure, the writing, is all meticulous and effective, but somehow also never fails to be exciting and entertaining (EVERY. SINGLE. LINE.).

Not a second of it was boring. It knew when to be light, when to be heavy, and when to be both.

The dialogue is truly the star of the show, the way these characters swear should be considered an art-form. It's almost poetry.

Word of warning: this man has a way of making you fall in love with characters just to murder them in the most brutal ways. I learned that in the first book and this one just served as an unfriendly reminder.

Not at all up to the first book, but great fun in a fantastic world. Cant wait to get my hands on the next book.
3,5/5

The worldbuilding continues to be super good. However, I didn't really enjoy the pirate side of the book. I guess I hoped THE heist to be more central and to me it was kinda unsatisfying. Also the writing felt at times that Lynch just tried to use obscure words whenever he could. This is my second book of his and the first in english so I don't know if its just this book or his style overall. The finnish translation of the first book in the series didn't feel like this. Still, enjoyable book and very excited for the last in the series.

It is undoubtedly true Lynch has masterful prose and Locke and Jean are a very entertaining duo. The plotting does seem strange though like Lynch just had to keep adding elements because the book wasn't long enough and then there's a whole side adventure in the middle of the book. By the end the threads kinda wrap together but don't know if it was all that satisfying.

I think this suffers in comparison to the fantastic first? But this feels like a star rating I might change over time. Good things: Locke & Jean continue to be friend goals, no shortage of witty dialogue as always, and now there's a pirate queen! Plus Jean has a lovely romantic connection! Downsides: a wee bit too much sailing talk for me, a thing that I find happens regularly in the second book of a series with too plotty of a plot, and a sudden sadness (no spoilers) near the end that feels too abruptly handled for the emotions involved. BUT I am in for the long haul with Locke & Jean so for sure will read the 3rd!

I enjoyed this probably just as much as the first one. Although I'm getting annoyed with some plotlines being ignored like what Loche's real name is, how Chains met his fate, and what happened with Falconer? I realize there are supposed to be more books but are you really just going to prolong the suspense among multiple books?

I loved the pirate battle scenes. I haven't read very many and this by far the best one! This book felt more slow in the beginning than the first one and a lotttt of pages were dedicated to gambling which I could care less about. After the half way mark it picks up and absolutely rocks. Lynch's characters are a blast, I love the dry wit, and I'm immediately reading book 3

4,5☆!!
Damn I really missed Locke and Jean! My boys!!
I definitely liked the first Gentleman Bastards more, but only ever so slightly so! This is still a fantastic fantasy book with charismatic lil crime bois coming up with ridiculously wonderful schemes and creative ways to save their own necks once it all eventually goes to shit!
These books are just so much fun. Even though so far they are 2 for 2 in making me sob like a baby. ;-;

After reading this I'm confident in saying most fantasy series would benefit from including one book where the characters become pirates for a bit.

Locke and Jean are still the beating heart of the series but the host of new characters manage to hold their own.

Not quite as tight as the first book, and it didn't add much new depth to the characters, but still a swashbuckling ride that never stops entertaining. The bold shift in style makes up for any small grumbles I might have.

Left me looking forward to book 3.

Plot twists and turns. An unpredictable tale of two thieves which is nothing short of marvelous. Best of the best

i enjoyed this book besides the insta love that appeared in the middle of the book that fucked me sideways
i mean seriously, ezia's ENTIRE existance is to be a way for jean to fuck i guess
remove her from the book and NOTHING changes ..
scott trying to convince us they are in love... no lol theyve known each other for barely a month
authors need to desperately learn the difference between love and lust because im tired of yall writing this garbage
otherwise it was enjoyable. i know i'll probably be disappointed when sabetha finally shows up. actually i kinda hope they will learn she died 9 years ago lol shortly after she left them. otherwise it will prob just be more  unnecessary romance i dont care about with a character ive learned nothing about (except shes hot? i guess?) shoe horned in the last book. oh well. lets find out.
also yes the filler is fucking insane in this book. i think it couldve been 100 - 200 pages shorter. im not kidding, theres that much filler. all the pirate lingo that nobody needs to know (and turned out to be completely useless anyway... we learned that with the MC's for NO REASON..) extremely long scenes that lead to nothing... the amount of pages i just plain skipped lol

I am so conflicted about this book.

Let me start with the extraordinary - the author's writing style and skill with words, especially when it comes to sarcasm and creative insults, is worthy of praise. I do not enjoy crass language in books, yet I find it tastefully executed in the books from this series.

I also love our main characters, as well as some of the supporting ones (captain Zamira Drakasha for example) - they have managed to carve themselves a place in my heart and I am deeply interested in what happens to them.

However, the plot of this book was a total mess, to say the least.
We have a saying here - the author brought water from 9 different wells, trying to create a web of mystery, only for it all to make no logical sense at the end.

We begin with the fallout from book one and this part I actually enjoyed, to the point that I started predicting a new favorite.

But then, the author seemingly decided that this is not grand enough and threw another plot line with another villain.

And then, at about 40% of the book, all of sudden he changed his mind on what the book will be about and introduced a whole new setting and yet another plot line. It felt so abrupt and, in my opinion, completely unnecessary, to the point that I lost all interest.
Then a chapter before the end, we are back to the original plot line, which made it feel disjointed and rushed as though it was an afterthought.
And just to clarify, I did like the place where the characters ended and the cliffhanger that was introduced, but getting there was exhausting.

I also didn't like the fake morality the author tried to inject. I mean, you are writing a book about two thieves who steal for the fun of it, sir. One of them literally overtook a gang by beating little kids to assert his dominance. Any financial and social morality you'd like to share rings hollow in this context. Locke isn't Robin Hood - he is literally a “priest” of the god of thieves. He steals for the sake of stealing. He is not interested in doing honest work who benefits honest people. I don't care that he steals from rich people, he has no high horse to sit on. And I liked him in book 1 because he didn't pretend to be anything else.

All in all, the book is okay, but I had very high expectations and am definitely disappointed by it.

I do plan to continue with the series and hope for going back to greatness in book 3.

This book was a lot of fun, way better than I was led to believe it was going to be. The prose is smoother than the first book, although the flashbacks are borderline filler this time. I also think the book could have been tightened up a bit, the middle has a bit of meander while the ending felt a bit rushed. But damn do I love Locke and Jean's relationship, and the epilogue of the book is great. Lynch also continues to be excellent at dialogue.

8.5/10

I won't get into the plot of this one so as not to spoil the previous book.

I loved this book. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because of how slow certain parts felt. I think that's inevitable when such a large section of the book is spent on a ship. My favorite part of the book is definitely Locke and Jean's relationship. Lynch really dove into the dynamics and struggles of their relationship, and their constant need to save the other at the expense of themselves. I thought that their loyalty to each other was so admirable and wonderful. I did miss some of the fancy, white collar criminal activity we got in the first book. This one was a little more rugged and life threatening. However, the characters more than made up for it, and the ending had me screaming. I am very excited to continue on with this series. I'm getting even more nervous for the wait after the 3rd book the closer I get to it. I know Lynch is one of the author's notorious for taking forever to finish a series. We'll see!

TW: alcohol, amputation, blackmail, death, gambling, kidnapping, murder, poisoning, profanity, sexually explicit scenes, torture, violence, poisoning, gore

The beginning was confusing as hell because so many things were going on at once, but then again the characters were confused too. Enjoyed this a lot. Didn't think it'd be so much fun with just Locke and Jean but omg it totally was. The new characters were amazing, especially the Poison Orchid crew, but I also really liked Selendri.


—Audiobook notes (spoilers galore)—

• Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen were getting beaten like a dusty carpet.

okay, first, I do prefer the first book. but, oh WHY did you do that to Jean?

but with each book their friendship seems to grow. I'm all here for it, and Loved it.

also, I'm so here for drunk Locke!

overall, a good book.

Listen, this book was 5 stars and every bit as good as its predecessor. Then I get to the middle of the book where the protagonists go to place you know you won't enjoy reading about. I'm 28 and I still remember the feeling of dread and loathing associated with under-water levels and caves in video games (looking at you Sonic and Pokémon), and that's the exact same feeling I got when the author PAUSED the main narrative to introduce a side mission. I can't find the motivation to pick it back up. I will eventually, but for now it gets a 3 star review for the perfect first half of a book.

EDIT: it's still a 5 star book, and it's only slows down for FOUR CHAPTER CYCLES... ughh. But it's all worth it once the side quest is fully underway.

Again a quick and badly written review. But damm does this book deserve one. Even more intricate and tense story than the first. Highly recommend reading this series!

Not bad for a second book. Likable new characters, another exciting heist that leaves the reader in the dark until the very end, and many adventures that make me want to play a D&D campaign in this world. This book made me want to play the old Pirates! game from Sid Meier again, and I didn't regret that either.

Only slightly off the magnificent standards set by the first book. This time the main action takes place at sea and is great entertainment even so. There are pirates, love, cunning and rivaling power hungry peeps. Definately word a recommendation in case you have been living under a rock and dont already know.

The story picks up two years after the events in Lies of Locke Lamora, nearing the final stage of a long-running scheme the Gentleman Bastards have been planning. There are a series of flashbacks that fill in some of the gaps between the end of book one and the start of this book.

While the first book is often compared to Ocean's Eleven, this book picks up with Jean and Locke conning people in a high-stakes casino. Sure, the Sin Spire might have harsher penalties for cheating than Vegas (unless Vegas chops off your hands and throws you out of windows, it's been a while since I visited), but the atmosphere is pretty similar.

The stakes quickly rise, with the Bastards being played by not one, not two, but three separate enemies. Their schemes are also less transparent than in book one, and we as readers sort of figure things out as we go.

About a third of the way into the book, the seafaring part kicks in. What's not to love about Jean and Locke becoming pirates? For me, at least, this was an interesting change of pace from city heists.

Overall, the plot was solid. The flashbacks played a slightly smaller role than in Lies of Locke Lamora, but the present-day plot was more complex. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though there has been some controversy surrounding this book.

Locke and Jean have one of the best bromances I've read. They always have each other's backs and their banter is great. Without a doubt, they are the stars of this book.

Locke is his usual outlandishly devious self, but he has to struggle to return to that point after the conclusion of the previous book. He spends some of the flashbacks deeply depressed. By the time the present rolls around, though, he's the Locke everyone knows and loves.

Jean gets fleshed out more this book. You get to see him at odds with Locke on occasion, how he deals with the possibility of romance, and more. I've always liked that Jean is both a scholar and a fighter, and this book explores both.

The new side characters introduced are colorful and fun to read. From lady pirates to military dictators to engineers with a penchant for throwing people out of tall towers, this book has it all. There's even a James Bond type villain with an artificial knife hand.

You might have heard that a lot of people consider this book weaker than Lies of Locke Lamora. I'm not completely sure why, but I can guess that one of the main reasons is the seafaring. It feels very different from the standard “richer and cleverer than everyone else” Gentleman Bastard plot, and I think a lot of people didn't like that. It's also difficult to make hundreds of pages at sea compelling for all readers.

I didn't mind the sailing bits, but they were definitely slower-paced than the rest of the book. This is probably the aspect that will make or break the book for you. Your nautical mileage may vary.

Say what you want about Lynch, he always delivers a damn entertaining book. His over-the-top dialogue is probably one of my favorite parts of The Gentleman Bastards series.

The worldbuilding continues to be a fun addition without getting too bogged down in the details. There's a city of rich folk who play chess with peasants as the pieces, more alchemical shenanigans, and giant killer wasps.

Also, this is still a book about thieves being thieves, which is just plain fun.

DNF at 60%. This was my second try, I still can't stand this book for multiple reasons.

Lets start out with saying I absolutely adored the first book. It was fantastic, witty, charming, with characters that made me attached. Then shit went down at the end and yeah.

Here we have Locke and Jean, moving to a new city. Old habits die hard, they can't live an honest life, so they get tangled up in crime again.

Lets just start out with pointing out that this book is long. Don't get me wrong, long books are fine, I have nothing against them, if they are written in a tight way. Here? None of that. the first HALF of the book is just a bunch of oh so (in)convenient way of Locke and Jean being noticed by basically everyone in the city, everyone wanting to recruiting them, just the two of them playing on all sides and none on any of them. It didn't feel smart, just... try hard.
Especially annoying for a book with a BURNING SHIP on the cover that has close to no ships until about half way in. I'm sorry, but it all felt like dragging as hell as we STILL had no pirates, STILL had no pirates, then when they arrived, they were ridiculous.

Mr. Lynch seems to have a sailing fetish. One we have ships, every sentence has 56 random seafaring related words that meant literally nothing to me. They could have been in ancient Chinese ballet slang, written in hieroglyphs. The funny thing is, not even the protagonists understood it, nobody did, it was just chucked around to make me feel like I had a stroke. Niiiice.

The characters are ridiculous as well. “We follow this pirate captain because she is our best chance. Oh, so she recruits random other pirates she takes on after she takes over their ships? While her very small children are running around? What could go wroooong?” It really feels like Mr. Lynch believes that criminals are all super reasonable people, none of the are prone to revenge or just going “I don't fucking care”. You can tell them they will be killed if they hurt the free roaming kids of someone they do have a reason to dislike.
It just... feels like he never met any human beings.

I love Jean. Always did. My beef is, though, that the only time something happened from his point of view was when he talked to his insta-love girl. Thanks for nothing.

There were barely any actual tricks in this. I loved the first book for that, not for random, boring chains of events. Not even the occasional good joke could change that. I'm sorry, but this book pissed me off. I really hated it. It made no sense, I couldn't justify finishing it.

One of my new favorite books! That's a hard category to crack these days.

I've never been so excited to have a book be this long. Page after page, Lynch continues to spin an awesome plotline where you never know what's going to come next. READ THIS BOOK!

Locke and Jean find themselves in twisted in so many lies and false-faces that you can just barely keep track of who's in charge - or so you think :)

No spoilers, but I was a little disappointed with a small part of the conclusion, but hey - no book can be perfect. The final ending was perfect though!

Up to the standard of the first book.

2 much about navigation :)

I liked The Lies Of Locke Lamora overall, but I did have to slog my way through it at certain parts, and I was only really invested in it at certain parts of the story. So originally I wasn't going to check out its sequel.
I'm really glad I did anyway.

I can't pinpoint as to why exactly, maybe because I was already used to the characters and the style, but this one just clicked for me. Aside from exciting, it was also humorous and tragic at times, and it worked. During the second part of the story, the flashback chapters were dropped and, as interesting as they were, the story did flow better as a result.

There is however a lot going on, and at times it feels like you can't keep up with all the different parties that are either seemingly against them or with them, but it does all come together in the end. Also I'm just really glad that they took Regal with them :) That kitten won me over in one sentence!