Beneath the Twisted Trees by Bradley P. Beaulieu
I have to confess right up front, with apologies to the author, that I finished Bradley Beaulieu’s Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019) just before heading out on a 40+ day trip out west that meshed college visits (for my son, not me) and hiking, and I unfortunately left my marked-up copy at home. Which means a) I have no access to my notes and b) thanks to full days and being off the grid so much, it’s been a while since I read it and c) thanks to A and B, this review will be more vaguely referenced than most of mine.
Beneath the Twisted Trees is the fourth in Beaulieu’s desert-based THE SONG OF THE SHATTERED SANDS series. I’ve given each of its predecessors a four-star rating, a trend that continues here, mostly due to the same strengths (many) and weaknesses (fewer). There’s something to be said for consistency (especially at that level).
Characterization and world-building remain among those consistent strengths. While Çeda continues to be the main focus, and solidly so, I actually found myself this time around more engaged and compelled by some of the other characters’ storylines and development, in particular Brama, who had a particularly emotionally wrenching and taut plot line that opened up unexpected facets of this world (and another character in it); Emre, who has moved from a relatively stock character to one of fuller complexity; and one of the surviving Kings, whose machinations and motivations continue to intrigue me. Çeda’s plot, on the other hand, felt a bit paler in comparison, as well as a little more perfunctory. That being said, her storyline also offers up some of the most painfully poignant moments, so there’s that to counter-balance the (only relatively) weaker aspects.
Plotting continues to be complex as various storylines go their separate ways or intertwine/converge. A few blips gave me some pause (such as the solution to the Asia problem or the surprising ineffectiveness of the Kings), and as with the earlier books a few pacing issues arose. Similarly, each of the books feels just a bit overlong and the same is true here, so that it feels like the entire series could be streamlined by a few hundred pages. Despite those (relatively minor) issues, I happily read the novel in a single sitting. While some storylines are resolved, or at least brought to a satisfying point, other remain wide open. Some riddles are solved; new ones arise. And some of the back myths are revealed, while Beaulieu holds back on a full explanation. In other words, Beneath the Twisted Trees does what any fourth book in a series should do, meaning I’m already looking forward to book five.
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