Children of Enchantment

Power and the Pattern #2

by Anne Kelleher Bush

In a sequel to Daughter of Prophecy, two young strangers discover the love they were preordained to share, and a fratricidal war for the crown is loosed upon the kingdom.

Genres: Fantasy

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

She now writes under Anne Kelleher.

Reviews

[Cera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelleher's second novel is about consequences, as the results of all the horrible yet necessary decisions made in the first novel are revealed. This makes for a much stronger middle book than I often see in trilogies, especially as one of the protagonists has no idea about some of what happened in the first novel. I am deliberately vague to avoid spoilers, because the intensity of the first novel could easily be ruined by seeing how it turns out here. Like the first novel, there is much emotion and passion and terrible decisions and frightening moments and high stakes relationships, which I loved because I love that sort of thing.

In terms of gender, I found this book much more comfortable than Daughter of Prophecy. In retrospect, I think that's because the gender views in this one are actually much less radical. Annandale, the female lead, is in the tradition of 'emotional mystical power' heroines; she's not asexual, but her main shtick is being a sort of reservoir of Moral Goodness who wouldn't have been out of place in a sentimental Victorian book. (Maybe I'm exaggerating -- it's been a few weeks since I read it.) Roderic, the male lead, is much more sympathetic than Abelard was before him; more compassionate and tolerant of difference, and more given to thinking of others. On first thought I saw this as a very positive trend, but now... well, it's not a bad thing that Roderic has more 21st century views on women and human rights and the like, but it's also not as challenging to the reader; it's easy to like Roderic and Annandale, because they act in ways that men and women are supposed to act.

[Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Daughter of Prophecy makes good on the story of Nydia Farhallen's prophecy. Her daughter is an empath and Abelard Ridenau's heir becomes Regent of Meriga. The characters are still compelling, though the tortured pain of the parents and their fates from the first book make this slightly less riveting. Still a solid story, and a lot of outside conflict to keep the characters apart, including the heir Roderic's brother Amanander who sows all kinds of mischief throughout Meriga.

The end of this book also brings about one last prophecy from Nydia Farhallen to haunt them for the third book in the series. Anne Kelleher Bush definitely knows how to leave an audience hanging at the end of the book. I hope she wraps the series well with The Misbegotten King.

[Trip · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Sequel to Daughter of Prophecy)