The start of this book, the continuation of the previous, Allaigna’s Song Overture, is as dramatic as the end of the previous. The drama, alongside with the narration of J M Landels, pulls us back into the “fateful” events that lead this story, as we will find out soon enough.
Allaigna, our MC, has discovered the lies of her family, and now is running away to god-knows-where, yet fully conscious of what she is doing, and the consequences such decision will cause. She is a rebel on her own right, which is a stark contrast, not only between our expectations of the story and the actual plot but also between the destinies of each character.
Allaigna shows herself brave, for facing indecision and finghting doubt in her decisions. Should she swallow her pride and go back home while she can, or should she venture deeper into de dangers of the unknown? Her decisions will surprise you at every corner.
In the previous book, we were seeing the storylines somewhat disconnected, and in this new book, we see them converge and continue to the point that we can clearly see the causes of the little behaviours of Lauressa and Irdaign. The tension and pain are there, and that adds flavour and intrigue to the book.
J M Landels’ narrative is acclaimed by readers, and for very good reason. She can create scenes that read natural, as if they were just a filmed sequenced cast to you by the means of words. Impressive, even to the most demanding of tastes.
It doesn’t take long for thriller and action to come in this fantastic and epic family drama. Danger in these women’s lives comes one after the other, interconnected, and unavoidable, it seems, as the web of secrets tightens and threatens to entangle many of the keepers of it, including our three main characters and their closest. Deep and painful sacrifices need to be made, lies added and spells laced to keep the structure of secrets in place and away from deadly consequence, for as much time as possible, although, the bill comes due, eventually and they know it.
For those who read the first book, this one will show a deeper perspective of the siblings’ birth, how their relationship was shaped, how they grew and why some things happened as they happened, but not in Allaigna’s point of view. The surprise on our eyes as readers will be too common when this section of the book comes from the chorus of Lauressa and Irdaign. How and why they decided to “make” the identity of her grandmother, why did they kept the identity of her grandfather, and why Allaigna’s real father was not even present, in Allaignas’ perspective, and why his father was cold and distant when it came to her and preferred his younger brother. THAT clears up many of the possible thoughts we have had on the previous book, so that’s very interesting to read as fans of this series.
One of the most intriguing, and delicious, parts of this book is the secret love, that is not so secret yet is kept so, of Lauressa towards Einavar, and the many moments, encounters and moments of “intimacy” between the two. There is also the emotional pull from her children, and the decision of their destinies as per where they will go, and if they are going to survive on the company of their family´s other castles, which creates a fear and indecision in Lauressa, and you can feel the motherly dilemma taking part in the book in these moments. This also happens when Irdaign is thinking about Lauressa, so this will be relatable to many readers mothers.
It’s interesting to see how much Allaigna evolves on her own. She tries out many spells that turn out true, and at times, many times even, they come off a little short-ended. In Allaigna’s chapters, there is a presences, the presence of a character that our attention and curiosity. Why would he be so helpful and guiding towards Allaigna? Protecting, even. Why? Is there a reason for it? Is there something that we are not getting on this? We will see.
Allaigna grows, not only in the sense of time, her magic skills, but also in maturity, more so towards the end of the book. You can notice this because the change on her way of thinking and seeing things. They shift, almost imperceptibly to us, but it’s there, and J M Landels does a great job when it comes to the mental processes of the characters, which helps us a LOT in understanding the plots and the consequences of the possible attitudes and choices our characters can take, and how they process their next moves. You can see this dynamic in Irdaign and at times, Lauressa, but a great example of it is the conversation between Allaigna and Doniver , so it’s something extremely cool to read and adds layers of “reality” towards this already magical book.
As you reach the end of this incredibly well-plotted romance you will notice that it rolls and wraps itself to the end of the previous book while advancing with this, and putting the plot of the third book! It’s masterful and a unique experience, and as the pages increase and the book reaches its finale, there is more and more tension, more promise of new adventures and much more drama to come.
Does this second book tops the first one? Yes, it does. It’s more mysterious and explicit at the same time and we can feel the planning around it as we reach the conclusion that there will be even more for the third book. Does this book explains things on the first? Oh yes, it closes it very nicely and gives us a new perspective towards it all that we know and that we thought we knew, and those things that we had no idea of, so you are bound to be surprised at most turns and revelations.
J M Landels did an excellent job with this second book. She increased the reader’s experience on this series and made this book series even more appealing and intriguing! Fantasy and drama lovers, cannot miss this book, or series.
Pros:
- Excellent and immersive narrative
- Excellent character development
- Mysteries are well put along with the romance , many times forbidden and dangerous
- Excellent management of timeleines
- No loose-ends from the previous books were left unexplained
- Seamless advancement of the plot
Cons:
None.
Scribble's Worth 
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