by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+
First sentence: “We’re here,” Irys said.
Book 2 for 48 HRC

When we last left our amazing duo of Valik and Yelena, she was exiled because she was a magician. The only hope for her was to head south into Sitia, the land of magicians, in the hopes that she could be reconciled with her family, and learn how to control her new found abilities, even if it means being separated from the love of her life.

Unfortnately, because she is Yelena, that also means trouble.

This one is as action-packed as the first in the series (and as dark; Snyder has a thing for bad guys torturing young girls/children… why is it less disturbing when it’s a fantasy novel than if it’s a “true crime” one?), but it’s more about Yelena and less about Valik. Which has its drawbacks, since Valik is well… awesome. (So, what did he look like for you? Me, he came off as Richard Armitage. Don’t ask me why. Could be that we watched Robin Hood last night…) And so, while the book doesn’t feel stalled, it lacks the certain sparkle that Valik brings. And, it lacks the tension of the first one — I think I like books with romantic conflict better than ones where the main characters are all lovey-dovey (even Robin Hood in season two has lost some of its sauciness… sigh.) — but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Far from it.

On to the third!

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.