Yep, I'm continuing my read of this series. I plan to read at least arc one. Spoilers ahead.
The four heroes have been gathered together and are still training and now go on a quest to find Rumfuss' totem. However, each of the children is still dealing with their own troubles, in particular Conor whose family is struggling immensely. Will they make the right decisions in the end?
Okay, I think I can safely say that despite my gripes with this series and the cultural appropriation aspect aside (which still is a major factor, don't get me wrong), this series is like...actually well-written and good. At least, these first two books are. Especially this one.
Book one I also liked but it did have a somewhat disappointing ending with what sounded like really good potential being wasted, but I'm happy to say that, despite book two going a different direction than I'd initially thought, it is still executed very well. It may not be what I'd hoped it would be, but it's still good in its own right.
Also, this book series, especially in this book, legit has good characters. With four main characters plus quite a few side ones I was really expecting quite a few of them to be bland, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised. Rollan was my favorite character in book one mostly because he's a sarcastic lil' shit sometimes and loves to complain, but I genuinely fell in love with the rest of the cast during this book. They all have their unique skills, strengths and flaws that makes them feel real.
I'm also glad to see that, while Abeke did join the main group in the last book (the aspect that somewhat disappointed me), she isn't just instantly trusted by everyone after being part of the Conquerors and genuinely has to prove herself as part of the team. So that's nice to see, actions actually have consequences here and aren't just forgotten about for the sake of the plot.
Two side characters I also enjoyed were Finn and Lord MacDonell. Finn was just an all-round good guy with a troubled past, and while Lord MacDonell easily could've been a one-dimensional villain there was actually some depth to him. Not amazing or anything, but he wasn't just an antagonist, which was cool to see.
That aside, it was also just nice to see the world develop. This realm has some pretty solid world-building, and the conflict also does start to feel tenser in this book as both Conor's family are starving and the Conquerors are slowly taking over the world with their animal companions which they gained through "fake" means using Bile. Especially with in the last chapter Conor deciding to put his family's life first and saving the world second by giving the boar totem to the Trunswicks.
So yeah, pretty good stuff. Of course, with each book being written by a different author there could be a rise (or dip) in quality in future books, or maybe an inconsistent feel to them. I hope this isn't the case, though, and the series does feel "whole" and not like each book feels vastly different due to the constantly switching authors.
Rating: 4/5
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