Review: uniqueness and clever dialog and description certainly have me hooked in and anxiously awaiting the next
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
Second in the Aegira Chronicles, Ros Baxter continues to amuse and enchant with her clever world building and engaging characters. Be aware that the first in the series, Fish Out of Water, establishes the world and presents the underlying concept of the story, presenting the necessary background that is required to completely understand and fully enjoy this instalment.Again Rania is important to this story, and her snarky no-nonsense style and clever approach to the mysteries that appear, as she works to thwart her own destiny as foretold continue to move this story forward.  But, she is not the only character to deal with: her sister Lecanora, left in Aegira when Rania went up to land with her mother as a child, has been sent to the dry land to gather support to protect Aegira against a threat from a crazed sorcerer, Manos.Starting a bit slowly as the author gives background for those not familiar with the first book, the plot and information is complex and often feels as if the story is dragging until the current events take precedence.  Unfortunately I found Rania a bit flat in this story: she’s still smart, snarky and clever but she lost some of the emotional impact that she held in the first book, and it was not always found in the other characters.  While Lecanora  was well developed, her peace-loving slightly accommodating personality was less enjoyable than Rania’s kick ass take names maybe later, and was quite a contrast.There is, however, no lack of action and suspense in this volume: pages fly by after the earliest chapters as readers wonder what will happen next: deaths, threats and more intrigue as the political machinations in Aegira come to light are all mixed together and are constantly imbued with Baxter’s clever visual references and imagination as she presents the world with delicious prose and detail.  While there was an overall lack of emotional connection to the characters and the events, as we are told more often than shown the character reactions, the story still manages to excel in description and unique plot lines. A nice mix of romance enters with Rania’s ex Doug and the effects he has on Lecanora, as she is struggling to acclimate to being on land and gathering support.While it was only by millimetres, I think that I preferred Fish Out of Water to this story, but the uniqueness and clever dialog and description certainly have me hooked in and anxiously awaiting the next and, I believe, last in the series.I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review for The Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.