The Sigils of the Moor

The Runetree Chronicles #2

by Brendan Corbett

Aeda's journey continues in this second installment of the Runetree Chronicles. Set loose from her shadowy past and embracing her newly found freedom, she follows the Historian Gieral across the Known Lands in pursuit of the reason behind the disappearance of Historians.

From the bitter cold of the Moor to the mystical, overgrown Bog, they must overcome dangers unlike Aeda had ever imagined. All the while, she is faced with the ever-growing challenge of finding her place in the world, caught between duty and her own desires.

Will they find the cause of the missing Historians? Join Aeda and Gieral as they strive to uncover a conspiracy that threatens to undo the fabric of history.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2024

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a rising Historian, Aeda is feeling the pressure of her position, especially when her mentor, Gieral, is occupied with other tasks. And despite how difficult it is to learn everything required of a Historian, Aeda bravely tackles each new challenge placed before her. When it comes to light that Historians are mysteriously disappearing across The Known Lands, Aeda and Gieral must seek what answers they can even as Aeda continues her training. Luckily, Aeda has good friends and supporters who encourage her on her path to self growth, and each new obstacle makes her stronger. Every day brings Aeda closer to her ultimate goal, and as danger approaches, Aeda finally has the opportunity to put her skills to the test.

This second book in the Runetree Chronicles series picks up not long after the first one ends, and Aeda is the focus of the narrative. Excellent writing and world building connect readers with the characters, and as Aeda progresses in her journey, readers are happily brought along for the ride. Detailed descriptions place readers directly into Aeda’s tale, and these details make each moment more accessible. Much like its first story, this book features two strong female characters in the traditionally male-dominated realm of fantasy storytelling, and Aeda and Gieral are commendable and relatable at the same time.

As they are attempting to discover the truth behind the disappearances of Historians, Aeda and Gieral travel the vastness of their homeland. This gives the novel the opportunity to introduce readers to even more details about the people and places who call The Known Lands home, and the vivid descriptions used are compelling and unique. While this is the second novel in the series and it does the work of transitioning readers from the world building of the first installment to the exciting conclusion, it is a story that is nonetheless engaging and enjoyable. Readers who appreciate accessible fantasy literature that focuses on strong protagonists and a positive mission will fall easily into Aeda’s world. This is an excellent addition to its series and to library collections for young adult readers and up.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

From an interesting opening to heart-racing moments, interesting peeks into history, and a dangerous conspiracy, this second installment will have you captivated. I was happy to rejoin Aeda and Gieral, and explore more of their world. The exceptional world and magic system building once again shine through, and we get to see new places and meet new characters. I felt like I was right there next to Aeda, and there were more than a few moments that had me holding my breath. There's just something about Aeda that makes me feel close to her, and I can't quite put my finger on what, but the feeling is even stronger having spent a second book with her. No spoilers, but I really loved the opening chapters, and how Aeda found what was essentially a giant loving family. The story overall moves at a really smooth pace, and even the little "quiet" moments are pulling you forward, and you'll find it hard to be bored while reading. However, I am a little sad that I have to wait longer for book three!

[Heather Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Sigils of the Moor” Book 2 of the Runetree Chronicles. This review will be done as a standalone. Don’t read ahead if you don’t want spoilers regarding the first book.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story is told through the POV of Aeda, determined, strong-willed, but insecure and headstrong. Aeda is funny in a sarcastic way and suspicious of basically everything that crosses her path. Her mistrust of authority (whether rightly-so or not) causes multiple areas of contention between her and Gieral. As her mentor, Gieral does her best to teach her pupil, keeping her grounded but also allowing her to stretch her wings. Find the full blog review at heatherlbarksdale.com

I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.

[Kristjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just did not work for me. Part of that Might be because I was starting with the second book, so there was a fair amount that I had to pick up for what little context there was (so if you are interested at all in the series, I would highly recommend starting with book one). That said, I was also able to get a good feel for how the story was told … and the author’s style doesn’t work for me either. This part of the story was a basic travelogue … which is common enough for world building but not a smoothly executed here as I had hoped. So we have the MC and her mentor searching for clues to a mystery that is not clearly articulated, but is an existential threat to the “historian” order … who apparently keeps all history via runetrees that they can “commune” with … and which heavily depends on the good behavior of their various hosts presumably because they get something from this arrangement (although that is not well explained either). The world building itself was mostly interesting with a strong current of weirdness for weirdness sake and the main characters themselves where stiff and not very sympathetic (with a constant and very irritating theme as the ward asking to do stuff and the mentor pushing back with you really don’t want to do that so I forbid it … I mean … isn’t that what a mentor is supposed to be doing? At any rate … the story didn’t really capture my attention until the destination in the last half of the story where we finally get a few hints and the dark machinations going on … and we get a relatively small, and unexpected, resolution to some of the conflict … which obviously continues in book three.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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