| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Medium (those idiots) Violence level: Medium-High (mostly for the “games”) Back Cover: “After completing the long, dreary journey to the rebel hiding ground at Shadowfell, Neryn is now a vital part of their plan to overthrow the tyrannical King Keldec. Every step she takes toward perfecting her skills as a powerful, once-in-a-generation Caller gets them closer to their goal. But first she must seek out the disparate leaders of the Good Folk and complete her training—and the time she has left is wearing thin. Meanwhile, Neryn's beloved, the double agent Flint, is summoned to the king's court. There the king's slipping confidence puts Flint in great danger. Yet his connection to Neryn is so strong that they reach each other in their dreams, sharing painful but precious glimpses into one another's lives. Their love is regarded warily by their rebel allies, for placing any emotion above the cold logic of the cause puts the entire movement at risk. But their bond also reveals valuable information, for the tide of the war may soon be turning...” |
Okay, end of rant.
And aside from that one utterly moronic night together, the rest of the story was perfectly lovely to read. More traveling, much like in the first one, but this time Neryn at least knows what she's doing—more or less—and doesn't change her mind half a dozen times about whether she can trust someone. She's actually a very loyal companion this time, perhaps loyal to a fault, and she manages to save their lives several times (that would be her and her companion, Tali.) You get to finally see the tyranny of the king from first-hand, which is new and different in a variety of disturbing ways. And Neryn manages to get half-way, or possibly three quarters of the way done with her learning quest. I think I like the learning chapters the best, especially the ones with the Lord of the North. The Hag of the Isles teaches her, but the Lord of the North she has to learn on her own just in order to contact him. While being taught is doubtless the quicker way, I think it's kind of cool the way she figures things out on her own and then has the formal teaching to back it up.
And the ending surprised me. Much more tragic than I would have ever expected.