The Griffin's Flight (The Fallen Moon, #2)

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The Griffin's Flight (The Fallen Moon #2)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 171 ratings · 16 reviews

Although he was once chosen as a griffin's companion, Arren Cardockson was reviled, betrayed, and ultimately killed. Brought back to life by a power beyond his understanding, Arren flees for the frozen sanctuary of the North. With the man-eating griffin Skandar by his side, and an entire country hunting him, Arren has little hope of reaching the place of his ancestry and o...more

Paperback, 512 pages

Published January 25th 2011 by Ace (first published January 1st 2010)

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Sep 19, 2012 Nerine Dorman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book two of the series has its ups and downs. I must admit I’m reading this series mainly because I ended up emotionally invested in the main characters, so kudos for KJ Taylor for engaging me in that sense. That being said, The Griffin’s Flight is not a smooth ride. Taylor compresses a fair amount of time in the first half of the novel, which tends to feel as though it drags.

We pick up with Arren on his flight north as he discovers the mysterious woman Skade. Like Arren, there’s more to Skade...more Book two of the series has its ups and downs. I must admit I’m reading this series mainly because I ended up emotionally invested in the main characters, so kudos for KJ Taylor for engaging me in that sense. That being said, The Griffin’s Flight is not a smooth ride. Taylor compresses a fair amount of time in the first half of the novel, which tends to feel as though it drags.

We pick up with Arren on his flight north as he discovers the mysterious woman Skade. Like Arren, there’s more to Skade than meets the eye, which lends an interesting departure from the norm that might squick out some readers. Arren, as always, falls prey to his passions, which leads to all manner of ill fortune, and I can’t help but wonder how things would go if he were more honest. As a character he is infuriating, especially in the sense that he continues to lie to himself—and others. And it is these lies that create more issues than anything else.

Arren is a man at war with others’ perceptions of himself, and the fact that he appears to have found himself as an integral part of an ages-old curse. Much of what annoyed me about him in book one is still in evidence—he is a victim trapped by deeply entrenched prejudices. It’s how he deals with his predicament that I hope will improve by book three.

Erian, who should be the antagonist, becomes far more likeable in book two once we get to know him. Taylor pulls a very typically George RR Martin trick of getting us to relate to a character who *should* be the antagonist, then swinging the story around to show us the very same character from the point of view of *their* opponent. Nice tension building here, and I can see this story is going to head toward an almighty meltdown, as Taylor subverts reader loyalties.

I very much still have that love-hate relationship with KJ Taylor’s writing. There is one issue of a fact that was *very* important that the character knew. So important that I felt it should have been something that would have preyed on his mind from book one, but it only gets a passing mention in book two. I won’t mention what it is, but I howled in frustration when Taylor dropped that bomb. I’m certain this is a plot development that only cropped up in book two. The nature of the fact was such that it is a crux point in a character’s make-up, and to avoid all mention until now is a major WTF moment for me as a reader. My inner editor is crying out for her red pen.

But never mind. I still wanted to know what happened next, and as always Taylor produces a story that does not follow conventional paths. There’s the satisfying sense of anti-hero who’s going to have to fight really hard to escape his wyrd. Whether he succeeds is another matter, and I sense Taylor is an author who isn’t scared of letting her hero fail.

Book three should be interesting. And of course I’m compelled to read the next one in the series. I can’t help myself. For all the rough edges, KJ Taylor tells a mean story. (less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Shaheen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hc-aust, aww2012

Ostracised from society and wanted for murder by former colleagues and peers, Arren runs to the North with only the fearsome Skandar for company. While the first book in this series is focussed on Arren’s rapid estrangement from his friends and family, The Griffin’s Flight deals his struggles to accept his heritage and come to terms with the drastic changes his life has seen over the past few months. Planning to escape to the North and live amongst his people, Arren begins to understand, for the...more Ostracised from society and wanted for murder by former colleagues and peers, Arren runs to the North with only the fearsome Skandar for company. While the first book in this series is focussed on Arren’s rapid estrangement from his friends and family, The Griffin’s Flight deals his struggles to accept his heritage and come to terms with the drastic changes his life has seen over the past few months. Planning to escape to the North and live amongst his people, Arren begins to understand, for the first time, the plight of the Northmen as the slave-class in Cymria. In many ways this book is a lot more personal than its predecessor and allows us rare glimpses into Arren’s heart.

Arren and Skandar develop a lot throughout the novel and strengthen their bond over time. Arren becomes stronger and more self-sufficient, but is increasingly troubled - plagued by the things he has had to endure to retain his freedom. In contrast, Skandar almost seems blithely unconcerned about everything, as long his end-goal of a new mountain home is fulfilled. In my review of The Dark Griffin I mentioned that the ‘voices’ of the griffins sounded human to me. In this book the other-ness of the griffins is more pronounced and I found I enjoyed getting glimpses into their unique world view. It also helps that Skandar now has a better command of the griffish language.

I love Taylor’s writing style because the prose is direct and honest, perfectly fitting the mood of this dark fantasy. The plot is not overly dramatic but always keeps one at the edge of their seat. Arren and Skandar are constantly in danger and treat everyone they meet with mistrust, but their situation doesn’t degenerate to seem absurd. In comparison to The Dark Griffin, I found the writing in this book tighter and more engaging, and although I was expecting a different conclusion and was taken by surprise at the end, I still enjoyed the reading experience a lot.

The Griffin’s Flight is a wonderful continuation of the saga of Arren’s life as he struggles to find where he belongs in a divided world. I love seeing the rich world Taylor has created unfold as I read! An example of excellent Australian Fantasy, I believe this series will be enjoyed equally by both avid fans of the genre and newcomers.

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Tsana Dolichva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Griffin's Flight by KJ Taylor is the second book in the Fallen Moon series. I can't discuss what The Griffin's Flight is about without mentioning spoilers for book one. So be warned, while this review doesn't contain spoilers for The Griffin's Flight, it does contain major spoilers for The Dark Griffin. Seriously, don't read on if you don't want key events at the end of book one spoiled.

At the end of book one, our main character, Arren, dies and is magically revived with a caveat: he talks,...more The Griffin's Flight by KJ Taylor is the second book in the Fallen Moon series. I can't discuss what The Griffin's Flight is about without mentioning spoilers for book one. So be warned, while this review doesn't contain spoilers for The Griffin's Flight, it does contain major spoilers for The Dark Griffin. Seriously, don't read on if you don't want key events at the end of book one spoiled.

At the end of book one, our main character, Arren, dies and is magically revived with a caveat: he talks, he breathes, he heals, but his heart does not beat. It's an interesting choice for a main character since, generally speaking, bringing the dead back to life is seen as evil. He's kind of a thinking zombie and while the few people who are aware of the situation agree that whatever necromancy brought him back is evil, I like that Taylor didn't use it as an excuse for more people to hate him. (Not that lots of people don't have other reasons to hate him.)

The other major character is Erian, the bastard son of Rannagon, who Arren killed in book one. In another novel, Erian might have been the hero and Arren the villain. Instead, Erian is annoying and a bit of an idiot with an overbearing, ambitious and controlling griffin dictating to him. The reader is very much set up to sympathise with Arren. Although Erian seeks revenge for his father, much like Arren sought revenge earlier, I didn't feel very much sympathy for him at all. Mostly, I thought he got a bit more page-time than entirely necessary. However, I'm quite into the idea of swapping the roles of hero and villain as Taylor has done. I've always been a big fan of moral shades of grey.

A new character, Skade, is introduced. I didn't hate her, but I suspect her potential wasn't entirely realised in this book and will hopefully come to fruition in the concluding volume. I was also a bit disappointed that Arren's friends from book one didn't feature very much. Bran and Flell feature only in the opening and the ending, however I'm confident they will play a bigger part in The Griffin's War, so I'm looking forward to that.

The Griffin's Flight moves away from the exploration of racism that was The Dark Griffin; it's still there, but it's much less the main theme. In fact, thematically there isn't a single overarching theme tying everything together in The Griffin's Flight, which partly makes it feel a little middle-book-syndrome-y. Which isn't to say I found it boring or pointless, just that it was linking two disparate parts of the story: Arren's life as it falls apart in the first book, and the coming titular war of book three (The Griffin's War).

I very much enjoyed the continuation of Arren's story in The Griffin's Flight. I recommend the series to all fans of "big fat fantasy" books. I don't recommend reading book two without having read book one, however. It's definitely the kind of story that should be enjoyed sequentially.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog.(less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

Our 'hero' Arenadd/ Arren (if you would call him hero) lives a half life as a fugitive traveling with the griffin Skandar (formerly Darkheart) to the North in an attempt to find somewhere he can be free. Their journey is fraught with both hope and despair. Arenadd, the man without a heart, walks the line between hero and villain depending on the point of view. Meanwhile he insists he is simply a human being. A woman Skade offers hope and eventually love to the somewhat dark emo moments when Aean...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Mercy Dragonslayer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, poor-sequels

Everything in this book was so drawn-out. Any scene that wasn't exactly like ten others, was 80 pages long to make up for it! The magic that didn't make much sense before continues to languish in The Pit of the Unexplained Phenomena.

After the end of the first book, I was really hoping Arenadd would pick himself up and get down to being villain or anti-hero or whatever it was he was supposed to be. Instead, what I got was MORE whining about the same stuff, and other subjects besides! He never tau...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent follow up to the first book. Arren's life has been ruined and worse, he has become something that horrifies him. But when he meets a strange girl- an outcast like himself- he begins to hope. Still, things never seem to work out for him the way he hopes they will. The more he fights against his destiny, the more he locks himself into a future he does not want.

This was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I handed the first book to my husband just in time to get him excited to read...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Yvonne Boag rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Arren and Skander are on the run heading north. Arren is trying to come to terms with what he now is. Erian and his griffin are chasing them trying to get revenge. Anything else I say would contain spoilers. Book 2 in the series is somewhat more conventional fantasy then book 1 was. But there is still a lot of interesting elements there. I think Taylor has done an excellent job in trying to go outside the box of traditional fantasy. Bring on book 3.

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Jun 24, 2011 Nathan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed-2011

This book continues a series of bad things happening to the main character. It's not something I really enjoy reading. I'm also not a big fan of "heroes" who commit human sacrifice. I'm continuing the series in the hope that there's some sort of redemptive ending for some secondary characters. I'm really not digging the books, but I'm still too invested in the series to stop.

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Apr 13, 2011 Foggygirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first book in the series really grabbed my attention and so I went out and got the second and third books in the series in order to keep reading. However with the second book I found that my attention began to wander especially near the end. While the griffins continued to be the most interesting characters I found the humans to be erratic and somewhat whiney in this second installment.

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Jun 12, 2012 Rhonda rated it 5 of 5 stars

In her continuing story, Ms Taylor has once again given us a unique and wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. As Arren's travels and troubles continue, a rash choice puts him grave peril. What will happen next? I am about half way through The Griffin's Flight and enjoying every page of it. Keep up the good work, Ms. Taylor.

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Mar 30, 2011 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book. It was a super quick read and kept me interested the entire time. It was a little dark and I felt bad for Arren throughout the story--it seemed he could never catch a break. Vocabulary was not complicated, just an enjoyable story. Overall I recommend.

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Oct 09, 2011 Selena Lang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I am liking this series. Its a bit different from the normal fantasy stories I have read.

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Mar 31, 2011 April (CSI:Librarian) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very, very good. 4.5 stars. Click here to read my review.

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Oct 27, 2011 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. The griffins are awesome, love. The poor character is always being tortured in some way, hate. It took me FOREVER to read because everything seemed to go so slowly. It's not a terrible book, but I wouldn't read it again.

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Dec 03, 2012 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: format-nook-other, science-fiction-fantasy, fantasy, 4-star

Enjoyed thoroughly. More cohesive story arc than first book in series (Dark Griffin). Arren's flight/quest to find his own folk with several fellowships along the way; relationship with Skandar went a little along Dragonheart lines if you sub the griffin for the dragon but otherwise an original storyline with unique characters.

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Jan 19, 2012 Anton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was on par with the last Harry Potter, as I didn't really like the last one. There is a lot of blood and gore in this story that did surprise me. I found this book really odd and strange. I don't think this book is for everyone.

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May 22, 2013 Candice marked it as to-read

May 12, 2013 Josiah Manske rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 02, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2013 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 28, 2013 Sasha marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2013 Robert Allemang added it

Apr 28, 2013 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 22, 2013 Sofia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 19, 2013 Igraine marked it as auf-gar-keinen-fall

Apr 16, 2013 Cinnamon marked it as to-read

Shelves: animals

Apr 15, 2013 Alyssa Biasi rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 23, 2013 Gwennie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 07, 2013 Nemo (the Moonlight Library) marked it as to-read

Apr 07, 2013 Milagros Yosores added it

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About K.J. Taylor

K.J.Taylor was born in Australia in 1986 and plans to stay alive for as long as possible. She went to Radford College and achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications at the University of Canberra, where she is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Information Studies.

She published her first work, The Land of Bad Fantasy through Scholastic when she was just 18, and went on to publish The D...more

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The Griffin's Flight (The Fallen Moon #2)

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