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Wilders #2
Chains and Memory
Manifestation was only the beginning.
The Otherworld has returned -- bringing with it the sidhe, the source of humanity's psychic powers. Some mortals welcome these creatures of legend, some fear them . . . and no one is ready for the change their presence will bring.
Last autumn Kim and Julian stood at the center of that storm. Now they face a challenge closer to home: a battle over the laws governing wilders, the closest genetic relatives of the sidhe. Many feel that change should wait until the current upheaval has ended . . . but Kim sees opportunity in the chaos, a chance to free Julian and all his kind from the chains of the deep shield that locks their gifts away.
The roots of that shield run deeper than she knows. The quest to destroy it will lead her and Julian back into the world of the sidhe, where they will uncover ancient lies, face betrayal on all sides -- and gamble everything on the possibility of freedom.
The Otherworld has returned -- bringing with it the sidhe, the source of humanity's psychic powers. Some mortals welcome these creatures of legend, some fear them . . . and no one is ready for the change their presence will bring.
Last autumn Kim and Julian stood at the center of that storm. Now they face a challenge closer to home: a battle over the laws governing wilders, the closest genetic relatives of the sidhe. Many feel that change should wait until the current upheaval has ended . . . but Kim sees opportunity in the chaos, a chance to free Julian and all his kind from the chains of the deep shield that locks their gifts away.
The roots of that shield run deeper than she knows. The quest to destroy it will lead her and Julian back into the world of the sidhe, where they will uncover ancient lies, face betrayal on all sides -- and gamble everything on the possibility of freedom.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 5, 2016
4 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Marie Brennan
170 books3,237 followersMarie Brennan a.k.a. M.A. Carrick
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 12, 2023
This didn't work for me as well as the first one. It felt repetitive and some of the writing was flat and cliched. I did like the relationship between Kim and Julian, but I regretted the absence of their college friends. Grayson is a wonderful character, but her motives seem unexplained. I gather it was published via a Kickstarter - perhaps it was written a bit too quickly? Or perhaps there is some intention that this will be a continuing story, which might fill in some of the blanks in this one.
June 5, 2018
Fantastic! And as usual with all fantastic books I read, I long for more to it. I found myself truly emotionally invested in the characters. Tears were certainly shed. It didn't end quite as I expected, but it was a good ending, despite being a bit heartbreaking.
*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited.
*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited.
May 27, 2016
I received this book as an Early Reviewers copy, and this is an honest review.
I don't want to be too spoilery here, but I will warn right off that this does end in a cliffhanger. I normally don't like cliffhangers, but this one is the sort of cliffhanger where it's a new beginning and it's not really certain what will happen, but the characters are out of danger (at least the immediate danger) so I felt they were okay and wasn't worried about them (too much). I liked the progression of the story a lot. The question of putting a deep shield on Kim, the first person to become a wilder as an adult, is being debated in the legal system. This parallels how things like this happen in real life so closely it's painful--the question of how deeply something effects people on a personal level becomes lost in the cold impersonal bureaucracy of the legal system. I really like the relationships between the wilders--they have "the family you choose" sort of more than "the family you're born into," a very stark contrast between what happens to Kim and her family and the "family" she has grown at Toby's. (Another reason I like this series is that wilders can be substituted for many groups that are marginalized or feared, such as the mutants in The X-Men, etc.). Another area I like is the doubt around the Seelie and the Unseelie and who means the least harm--what do they get from contact with humans. What do they get from releasing the geas? I found the whole aspect of touch very interesting as well, and how much Kim and Julian's relationship changed once that was straightened out; his craving yet pulling away from touch. Kim trying to fit into a world that she didn't belong to until she was an adult. There are so many facets to this book that make it a really fascinating read. Highly recommended.
I don't want to be too spoilery here, but I will warn right off that this does end in a cliffhanger. I normally don't like cliffhangers, but this one is the sort of cliffhanger where it's a new beginning and it's not really certain what will happen, but the characters are out of danger (at least the immediate danger) so I felt they were okay and wasn't worried about them (too much). I liked the progression of the story a lot. The question of putting a deep shield on Kim, the first person to become a wilder as an adult, is being debated in the legal system. This parallels how things like this happen in real life so closely it's painful--the question of how deeply something effects people on a personal level becomes lost in the cold impersonal bureaucracy of the legal system. I really like the relationships between the wilders--they have "the family you choose" sort of more than "the family you're born into," a very stark contrast between what happens to Kim and her family and the "family" she has grown at Toby's. (Another reason I like this series is that wilders can be substituted for many groups that are marginalized or feared, such as the mutants in The X-Men, etc.). Another area I like is the doubt around the Seelie and the Unseelie and who means the least harm--what do they get from contact with humans. What do they get from releasing the geas? I found the whole aspect of touch very interesting as well, and how much Kim and Julian's relationship changed once that was straightened out; his craving yet pulling away from touch. Kim trying to fit into a world that she didn't belong to until she was an adult. There are so many facets to this book that make it a really fascinating read. Highly recommended.
November 18, 2015
I got this book via a Kickstarter campaign, but Amazon shows that it'll be released next year. Here is the description:
Manifestation was only the beginning.
The Otherworld has returned -- bringing with it the sidhe, the source of humanity's psychic powers. Some mortals welcome these creatures of legend, some fear them . . . and no one is ready for the change their presence will bring.
Last autumn Kim and Julian stood at the center of that storm. Now they face a challenge closer to home: a battle over the laws governing wilders, the closest genetic relatives of the sidhe. Many feel that change should wait until the current upheaval has ended . . . but Kim sees opportunity in the chaos, a chance to free Julian and all his kind from the chains of the deep shield that locks their gifts away.
The roots of that shield run deeper than she knows. The quest to destroy it will lead her and Julian back into the world of the sidhe, where they will uncover ancient lies, face betrayal on all sides -- and gamble everything on the possibility of freedom.
Two warnings: you really need to have read the first book for key plot points to make sense, and the ending is a major cliffhanger. The main struggle of the book is resolved, but something even bigger appears at the end. That said, I appreciated how the change forced on Kim in the last book affects everyone - Kim, Julian, their friends, and her mother. How they all react fits well with each character. A new character, Neeya, is amusing and not quite what she seems, and I love the return of Professor Grayson.
Manifestation was only the beginning.
The Otherworld has returned -- bringing with it the sidhe, the source of humanity's psychic powers. Some mortals welcome these creatures of legend, some fear them . . . and no one is ready for the change their presence will bring.
Last autumn Kim and Julian stood at the center of that storm. Now they face a challenge closer to home: a battle over the laws governing wilders, the closest genetic relatives of the sidhe. Many feel that change should wait until the current upheaval has ended . . . but Kim sees opportunity in the chaos, a chance to free Julian and all his kind from the chains of the deep shield that locks their gifts away.
The roots of that shield run deeper than she knows. The quest to destroy it will lead her and Julian back into the world of the sidhe, where they will uncover ancient lies, face betrayal on all sides -- and gamble everything on the possibility of freedom.
Two warnings: you really need to have read the first book for key plot points to make sense, and the ending is a major cliffhanger. The main struggle of the book is resolved, but something even bigger appears at the end. That said, I appreciated how the change forced on Kim in the last book affects everyone - Kim, Julian, their friends, and her mother. How they all react fits well with each character. A new character, Neeya, is amusing and not quite what she seems, and I love the return of Professor Grayson.
June 30, 2016
Much better than the first! Frustrating cliffhanger ending though.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews