The Village

Ceristen #2

by Verity A. Buchanan

Discord stirs. Pain festers. Romance unfurls.

Fred Thorne set out to find safety and security. And he has found it — in the tiny but open-armed mountain village called Ceristen. But Ceristen's contentment is threatened by other new arrivals, ones who may find it harder to adjust.

Fiona Segelas has left behind the windy, austere crags of Erahar and a noblewoman's title and privileges. But her heart still lingers with them. Imprisoned by shyness, her mind yearns for someone she can call friend...

Mordred Kenhelm's life revolves around survival. Orden seems like a promise of the new and the better — until disaster strikes, undermining whatever trust he had left in humanity. Ceristen can celebrate with its settlers, but can it grieve?

Woven with glimpses of a wider, stranger world, The Village presents a quietly, unapologetically human tale of community.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

217 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2020

About the author

Verity A. Buchanan grew up drinking in the glacier-formed ridges, jewel-blue lakes, and sprawling orchards of Northern Michigan. Enthralled by love of the land, she lives in search of fresh sights and settings, so as to ground her stories as far as possible in the honesty of experience.

When not scribbling down snippets of dialogue or staring hopelessly at a blinking cursor, Verity is probably browsing Lord of the Rings, pouring out emotions on the piano, or undertaking amateur photography and audio mixing. Her enthusiasm for people finds an outlet in teaching piano, working customer service at her local farm market, and forging connections with readers and colleagues across the globe.

Reviews

[Verity Buchanan]

Hellooooooo what have we here

Oh nothing, nothing, just Verity making a Goodreads page for Ceristen book 2.

Nothing to see here.

Why are you still reading?

YOU TURNED THE PAGE!

(I'm sleep-deprived and sick, someone please appreciate my humor)

[clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to start it off by saying I love this book. When I think of Fantasy, I usually come up with magic and unicorns. But Verity was able to incorporate something that feels so detached yet is blended perfectly with that nature. I always love a good plot twist and epic fights and I get bored easily by books that doesn't have those (picky, I know). Verity was able to capture my attention with the simple yet intriguing life in Ceristen. The way she was able to seamlessly combine everything made it seem as if you are watching a movie, not reading a book. She included normal people like us to her stories and made it seem interesting. The Village isn't about one singular person becoming the savior. The Village is a story about an entire community that is working hard to achieve what we all want in life: Love and Happiness. She tells us a story about us in ways we never imagine possible. It might be my favorite book ever (and that's saying a lot since I'm very very choosy about what I like and what I dislike.) and to top it all off, I finished it in a day. I'm a fast reader sure, but when I get bored with a book, I leave it and wait until my attention to it is back, but The Village held my attention like nothing else ever does and I do think that's a miracle. So, to finish it off, I'm going to say what I said in the beginning. I truly love The Village.

[Cheyenne Langevelde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but I love Verity's style of writing and honestly, The Village is probably my favorite (if not second favorite) book in the Ceristen Series. I love the quiet, if at times complicated, village life, which is reminiscent of English countryside. (If I could compare it to the classics, I'd say think of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell!) There is a peaceful, almost romantic aesthetic about the whole book, even with the dangers that abound (because after all, fantasy and plotlinesss). I love the relationships that begin and grow in this book, some from our friends in The Journey, some new faces as well. I love the relationships, yes, because of the way they grow. Everyone is so human, so real, that you feel as much a part of them and the village (sorry for the lame title call, haha) as the characters themselves. But I suppose you better grab your own copy to see what I mean before I accidentally spoil. ;)

Yet I will say this. It may have an idyllic ending, but the following book is a bit of a wake-up call, shall we say?

And one more thing...



*sharp intake of breath*
MORDRED

[S.D. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angsty Mordred is angsty.

The Village picks up where The Journey left off with the Thornes and their arrival to Ceristan. Unlike many fantasy novels, Verity's stories focus on the lives of everyday people that inhabit her world. It lacks the sword fights, villains, and other common tropes, and replaces them with friendships, family relationships, and comradery.

As someone who reads more action-packed books, this book is by far slower in pace and at times I felt antsy for action. There are moments like that, but overall, you catch a glimpse into the world of people just living their lives the best they can.

There are A LOT of characters in this book, and honestly, if they didn't have last names I should have a very hard time keeping track of them all lol One of my pet-peeves from The Journey was the pov hopping and scene breaks, and this still happens in The Village. The scope of having all these characters made it feel, at times, like we would start something but never resolve it.

That being said, I had planned on giving this book 4 stars because of that. However, the final chapters of this book, especially the final one, wrapped up one of the singular threads I wanted to see in such a beautiful way that it bumped it up to 5. I tell the truth that immediately after reading it I got up to come and leave this review!

If you're looking for a different take to fantasy, one that dives into the lives of people like you and I, and experience the joys and sorrows they face, I highly recommend you get this book.

Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to anxiously wait for book 3.

[✧ Beanie Reads ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Review: Three and a half stars. A small village setting with a big impact on the families there. Although at first overwhelmed by all the names, I quickly found myself loving each of them.

Long Review:

The Village takes place a couple of months after The Journey ended, putting us back in Ceristen with Marjorie’s wedding. As more and more families join the town, especially the jaded Kenhelms, the growing village will have to learn how to be more than just a village in name alone.

I’m just going to be straight to the point: I liked this a lot more than I expected to. The Journey was fun enough, but the writing style always kept a bit of distance between me and the narrative. And it’s not like that style changed at all here. I just... I don’t know. It just worked better? Or maybe I wasn’t as enthralled by the Thorne’s journey alone? I don’t know. All I do know is something just *clicked* this time around, and suddenly, I was flying through the pages.

Now, the style still isn’t my favorite, hence only three and a half stars. And sometimes it felt like the cast may be too big. Which shouldn’t be at all surprising, given it is an entire flipping village of a cast, but sometimes it felt like characters were given a bit more attention than they needed to as side characters just because, hey, they’re part of the awesome villagers. Which I can understand, but sometimes, it just felt like a tad bit of attention could have been moved elsewhere.

But honestly, it really is just a tad, because man, Verity did an amazing job juggling the huge cast. I was admittedly a bit worried because of how sometimes random and nonconsequential some of the character appearances in The Journey was, but every family in the village (or, well, most of them at least xD) seemed to have something going on that could be explored, and in that exploration, Verity kept finding a way to connect it to the overall... theme? plot?... end result...? of the book.

Now, you may be wondering why I had so much difficulty putting a name to things there, and that’s because this book is not plot driven. It does have an overarching theme, but that almost just seems like a byproduct of a tale about a village and its families?

There was a central focus on the Kenhelms through this story, a family who comes from a small, rough down with a very, well, rough background. This has hardened Mordred, the eldest of the Kenhelms, and places him at the sort of center of this flow of the village’s story. He is angst boi. He is hard heart boi. He is wonderful. Like, I’ve heard a lot of our mutual friends gushing about Mordred, and I can see why. But he isn’t all hard and edges, and it’s so nice there is a kindness to him.

He is overall a good boi, but my favorite boi ended up being Therelane. He is sorta moody like Mordred, but he’s more just lonely, feeling out of place everywhere, and then the angsty boi gave the moody boi friendship, and that friendship was so golden, and I just... I am here for their friendship. End of story.

The mystery that is presented in this book is very interesting, and it provided a bit more of the plot that otherwise would have just be me enjoying these families and this village (which I can’t promise I would have complained about anyway). I will admit, I have a bit of worry that we won’t get a direct answer to what the mystery was, because it was left a bit open ended, but fingers crossed that we get to explore it more and more in the coming parts of the series.

There is a bit of romance in the book, and I appreciate it. I didn’t overly ship it, but that may be because I was more invested in the Kenhelms. It was cute and enjoyable, but it just didn’t carry the same oomph of my angsty and moody bois. Yes, they both are moody. One is cloudy moody, one is sunshine moody. That’s how this is going :D

Speaking of that romance, it does include Fred, which may be a bit of a complaint I have? I’m not sure if complaint is the right word. The Thorne’s presence is definitely still felt, and they have their own place in this village and in the story, but I must admit, this book felt very detached from them. It leaves me wondering what their part will play in the grand scheme of the series. Obviously they’re important if they series began with their journey, but what part do they play?

Just overall, I enjoyed this far more than I expected to, and I’m actually excited to see the story continue. I feel like I oddly like this broad, village encompassing sort of narrative, and even if there will be main characters, you’re always aware that this entire village, every life and tale within it, is a character in the story itself.

[Mary Emma Sivils · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first book in the series!

The title is so appropriate, as the story focuses on the growing community of Ceristen. I enjoyed getting to know some new characters (Mordred and his siblings🥺) as well as seeing how the old ones were getting along. There were some definite moments of suspense, but never so much that it felt stressful. It was really a perfect cozy read for winter.

Looking forward to book 3!

[Cate Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Village is the second book of Verity Buchanan's that I've read, so my expectations were already quite high. It did not disappoint. The writing, like in The Journey, was beautiful and flowed seamlessly. It's perfectly suited for this fantasy country of Ceristen. The plot is a little difficult for me to summarize or say who exactly the main characters are, but in short, the story follows the lives of various villagers.

We meet right back up with Fred, Sandy and family, and get to know their new friends, while another family joins the village. Mordred is definitely a new favorite! While I admit it started off a bit slow for me, it really picks up speed in the second half, which made it hard to put the book down!

If you've read The Journey, don't stop there! This one is also a must-read!

[once_darkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a very cozy feel and is a little slower-paced than The Journey but the character dynamics kept me so invested and interested I was turning pages eagerly. This is not a book without risk though. There is an underlying tension and mystery that worked really well against that coziness. It was so fun to see how the old characters were doing, as well as meet new ones. Buchanan managed a large cast while making everyone feel distinct.

The themes of this book really spoke to my heart. I loved the community focus so much! Watching characters who have been hurt or cast out, or are lonely and isolated find and forge strong bonds is powerful. I also really loved how as the story unfolds, we see all the threads of each family's separated lives wind together into the cohesive whole of the village. So many different kinds of relationships are captured which feels very unique in fiction these days: siblings, platonic friendship, parent/pseudo parent and child. And I will always shout out strong and healthy male friendships (looking at you, Mordred and Therelane!).

Add the classic style that Buchanan always brings to the table, and this is a book I will be returning to for sure!

[Dante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fantasy books describe the heroic events of a young prince/princess on their journey to becoming a (better) King/Queen.
Some fantasy books take us across kingdoms, wild seas, and vicious creatures
And some fantasy books focus on the small people in the small villages. How they live their seemingly unimportant lives away from power and warfare. The Village shows the dynamics between the old villagers and the new, the love and friendship that grows between them. It's a story of individuals within a community and within their family, and how much they need each other to thrive.

Verity, bonus points for sticking with the name Mordred. Another name, and it would not have been the same person anymore.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point I will say that I will happily read anything that Verity Buchanan writes. The Village follows the story of the village of Christen, so there are a lot of new characters. It could stand alone and make sense even if you have not read The Journey. Some of my favorite parts were the suspense and introduction of the woman in black; the character of Jerithan, a six-year-old; and the part about forgiveness and then the positive things that happened when someone was able to swallow his pride and ask for forgiveness. I liked the writing style here a lot, and felt the satisfaction at the end of just having read a good story.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The writing in it is just so beautiful, and the familial love that’s seen all throughout the book warms my heart. I cannot get over how wonderful it was to see the old characters and the new go about life in the village; I honestly would love to just step into their world and live about them because it’s just so charming. Such a lovely work!

[Hannah Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Village is excellently written! The framing of the story is well done and causes you to want to live in this village with the characters.

[Emily Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE SIBLING STORIES.

I loved book 1, The Journey, because of the precious siblings, and this book was filled with just as much sibling goodness. There were several sets of siblings, and I loved getting to know each one. After the journey (no pun intended XD) of the first book, The Village wasn't quite what I expected, but I so enjoyed just learning more about this village and all the people who lived there. It was so cozy and beautiful.

HOWEVER, there were... a LOT of characters. And I lost track. A lot. XD Part of this is due to my inability to pay attention to anything, and part of it is a side effect of taking forever to finish a book. But even so, there were a lot of characters to keep up with. I honestly couldn't tell you which ones were a part of which family now (other than the Thornes, of course). It's worth noting, though, that there IS a helpful character guide at the beginning of the book. I just didn't refer back to it because I was reading on my phone and kept losing my place anyway so that wouldn't have helped. BUT if I was reading a physical copy (and I'll definitely do this eventually when I buy it), I definitely would have been flipping back to the guide, and probably would have gotten a much better knowledge of who's who.

And that kind of brings me to another point- I MISSED THE THORNES. Especially my boy Fred. Like I said, I adored all these siblings and meeting new characters, but I really did feel like the Thornes were barely in it (partially because I guess I expected them to be the main focus like they were in the first book) and I missed them a lot.

All in all- I love this series and the characters and I can't wait for book 3!

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow, pleasant, cozy sort of read. Lots of wintry atmosphere, and I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more if my seasonal reading instincts had run out over my mood reading instincts, and I'd read it before warm spring weather hit. :-)

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the first book more, I still liked this one. I had a hard time with many POV and wish some questions I had could have been ironed out a little more, but I still recommend this to anyone who enjoys a different writing style and a more Sherlockesque fantasy world.