dgvand's review
5.0
An exceptional continuation of the story from the first novel. Davian goes to the Boundary to investigate its failing and meets new enemies and allies. Asha begins to come into her own, learning secrets, following echoes, and learns why she was the only student to survive the attack on her school. Wirr meets many political roadblocks with his vision for the future of the kingdom, but he eventually persuades a small group of Administrators to go north to the Boundary and investigate the dangers there. The real continuation of the plot comes with Caeden’s story. He pursues his lost memories to realize his past and why he orchestrated his current plan. The memories come in naturally and fill in the ancient past in a fluid and interesting way. You learn of his departure from his group within the Venerate and why he began on his current path. The action starts strong and never falters or slows. The political intrigue is still present and maintains throughout. The social constructs of discrimination and hate are still present and explored further in different perspectives. The second installment leaves me more connected to the characters and more invested in the world. I immediately started the third book after finishing this one!
mern_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
siniture's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
arian_dragonelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
3tb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lolaslalaland's review against another edition
I just could really connect with any of the characters or what was happening. Every plotline was merging together and I just couldn't care about anything.
argentrabe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
additionaddiction's review
5.0
Amazing! What a great follow-up to a series. I think I actually enjoyed book two more than the first one (and I really enjoyed [b:The Shadow of What Was Lost|22878967|The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)|James Islington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507308087l/22878967._SY75_.jpg|42428433]).
It's hard to give this book a review without spoilers (and I hate to give any kind of spoilers). But what I will say is that all of the main characters from book one are still great. Some of the lesser characters were a little...annoying? Although I understand the purpose that they served.
Still, this book was mostly non-stop action. There were a few minor spots that dragged a little, but they still fit into the overall narrative and did serve to advance the plot.
Overall my biggest "complaint" with this book is just the map in the beginning. There are WAY too many missing locations from the map that are important to the series. Also, there are a lot of locations on the map that (at least so far) are irrelevant to the story.
So yeah, just a better map and this book would basically be flawless. I'm really looking forward to book three, although after that epilogue....oof. It's gonna be a tough one.
It's hard to give this book a review without spoilers (and I hate to give any kind of spoilers). But what I will say is that all of the main characters from book one are still great. Some of the lesser characters were a little...annoying? Although I understand the purpose that they served.
Still, this book was mostly non-stop action. There were a few minor spots that dragged a little, but they still fit into the overall narrative and did serve to advance the plot.
Overall my biggest "complaint" with this book is just the map in the beginning. There are WAY too many missing locations from the map that are important to the series. Also, there are a lot of locations on the map that (at least so far) are irrelevant to the story.
So yeah, just a better map and this book would basically be flawless. I'm really looking forward to book three, although after that epilogue....oof. It's gonna be a tough one.