Review: Better than the first, still a bit of new-writer awkwardness
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2011
FYI: I received a free copy of this book in return for a review.Premise: Sequel to Initiate, this is the continuing story of Dindi the aspiring dancer/shaman and Kavio the young prodigy, outcast from his tribe. The core cast expands some, as does the world.I liked this volume more than the first by quite a bit. The world became clearer, the structure of the magic became clearer, and best of all, the history that seems so important to the future of these characters was clarified.Fewer typos, fewer narrative missteps, this is overall a stronger book. Also it was quite a bit longer.It is a sequel, so from here out there may be slight spoilers.One part that I didn't like was a sex scene. It came basically out of nowhere, and was surprisingly graphic. I don't mind that the characters had sex, that felt right, and some description of it is necessary for understanding their relationship, but the style of the writing took a side trip to romance novel. It was also odd because it only happened once. It isn't as though all the characters who had sex or romance in this volume got that treatment.On that note, I thought the introduction of gay characters was fairly well-handled and welcome. Downright sweet, actually.Most of the characters had some growing up to do in this volume, as they figure out what is important to them and what they are willing to risk for it.4 Stars - A Very Good Book