Eurik & Leraine have escaped the land of the necromancers, but still face a long journey. Eurik is looking for answers about who his parents were and how they ended up adrift at sea. Leraine must carry the news of her teacher’s death back home, yet also has a debt to Eurik for helping her to avenge Irelith.
Together, they’ll have to traverse the Neisham Hills, where lone travelers are snatched in the night and even numbers don’t guarantee safety. And beyond the hills, all along the long Inza Road, the drums of war beat louder and louder.
But the greatest threat may not be goblins, elves, or bandits. It may be the people they’ve chosen to travel with.
The first point I want to make is that I loved the extended world-building in this book. Janes took what he’d already established in the first book and added to that. As Eurik and Leraine traveled, we got to see more of this fictional universe, with everything from rabid elves to immortals being introduced. Also, I especially liked the little bits of history woven into the narrative; I always love when authors put that level of care and detail into world-building.
All in all, I enjoyed all the layers involved in this world and how realistic it felt.
As for the characters, I enjoyed getting to learn more about them. Although I do think there could’ve been a little more character growth, I liked what was present. Additionally, there was a significant amount of development in the previous book, especially considering its short length, so I do appreciate how that factors in. And I quite liked all the new characters who were introduced; even though some of them weren’t there for very long, they were incredibly interesting and I would’ve liked to learn more about them.
Captain Sylvair was especially intriguing, and I really enjoyed the parts of the story that involved him. I was impressed with the development Janes was able to give him, despite the fact that he wasn’t on-screen for all that long.
And, finally, I really enjoyed the plot. The pacing, to be honest, could have used some improvement, but overall, the story was exciting and kept me entertained for the entirety of the book. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book!
Please note this review is for books 2 and 3 in The Living Sword series. The debut book has been previously reviewed and can be found here. Please don’t read ahead if you don’t want any spoilers!
“Living Sword 2” takes up right where the original left off. Eurik and Leraine have escaped their last perilous journey to continue on their way. Eurik is still seeking answers about his past and his parents while Leraine is carrying the emotional burden of her teacher’s death as well as the responsibility of notifying their community about what happened.
“The Living Sword 2” spends a majority of the tale expanding on previous world building including new characters, races, etc. There are more adventures and conflicts along the way and this book is more fast-paced overall than the last one. The full blog post can be found at heatherlbarksdale.com
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.