Author: Namina Forna
Series: Deathless #2
Genre: YA Fantasy/ Adventure
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: May 31st, 2022
Edition: Kindle Edition, 432 pages
Source: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Book Depository | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks
Synopsis:
It's been six months since Deka has freed the goddesses and discovered who she really is. There are now wars waging across the kingdom. Otereans now think jatu are traitors to the nation. Deka is called a monster.
But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There's something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can't command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can't even understand them when they speak.
Deka knows freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. She can tell whatever dark force out is powerful and there is something sinister out there threatening the kingdom connected to that symbol--something merciless--that her army will need to stop before humanity crumbles. But Deka's powers are only getting stronger...and her strongest weapon could be herself.
But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There's something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can't command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can't even understand them when they speak.
Deka knows freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. She can tell whatever dark force out is powerful and there is something sinister out there threatening the kingdom connected to that symbol--something merciless--that her army will need to stop before humanity crumbles. But Deka's powers are only getting stronger...and her strongest weapon could be herself.
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I really enjoyed the first book when I read it last year and was really excited to get this ARC and read it. But this book took far longer to grab my attention than the first book did. The opening was very slow-paced and the characters seemed to be shells of what I remember them being at the end of the first book. I think perhaps the time jump could be part of the reason for that. I felt like I didn't know the characters anymore, as there was a lot of off-page character development during that time jump. Or in some ways for Deka, some character relapse. She is far less sure of herself at the start of this book than I remember her being at the end of the previous.
The pacing in this book felt slower than the first book, kind of. There was an overdose of foreshadowing that the reveals felt a little underwhelming. The character relationships also felt different. I don't know if this was on purpose because of the changes Deka went through, but characters who were close in the previous book didn't feel as close in this book. And the friendships were one of my favorite things about the first book, and the friendships felt lacking in this book.
There was a lot more world-building in this book, but it came out a little like an info-dump at times. This book suffers from the dreaded "second book syndrome" for sure. With how this book ended, I do have hope and some curious excitement for the third book.
The pacing in this book felt slower than the first book, kind of. There was an overdose of foreshadowing that the reveals felt a little underwhelming. The character relationships also felt different. I don't know if this was on purpose because of the changes Deka went through, but characters who were close in the previous book didn't feel as close in this book. And the friendships were one of my favorite things about the first book, and the friendships felt lacking in this book.
There was a lot more world-building in this book, but it came out a little like an info-dump at times. This book suffers from the dreaded "second book syndrome" for sure. With how this book ended, I do have hope and some curious excitement for the third book.
Oh gosh that is such a gorgeous cover! Love it! I don't know this series and it's not my normal reading preference, but I will still admire that cover!
ReplyDeleteElza Reads