Phenomena is my all time favorite book series and I cannot find words of how excited I was for this book. Did it meet all my expectations? Not sure. We are promised a lot of things going into this, does it deliver it? Not really, but that doesn't mean it was bad. I love the world still, and seeing and being it again made my heart happy. But I just have so many questions, and I feel like nothing was really answered. Of course, there are coming more books so I have to wait patiently for them...

- The book contradicts things that happened in the original series: Alk being a 'bad' father (this is so not in character!), everyone in Aldra is miserable (what was the point of the "prophecy", of uniting the people?!), everyone in the North is treated badly (because they were on the bad side), but how do they expect things to change when they don't change? Maybe Alk should've kept his sword for some wisdom :), Arol being a "bad" ruler, the terraqus still going around killing people?! Where is Azur? Would he let this happen?
Maybe Arol and Alk not doing so well ruling is because of what and who they lost, but they are our heroes. Alk always had a good heart, so what happened here?
- ALSO WHY DIDN'T ALK TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS PAST TO IZA? I SERIOUSLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS. WHY IS ILKE "A STORY". SHE DESERVED BETTER! Maybe it was too painful? But how could Alk be comfortable lying to his daughter like that? Such a weird choice for the story.
- What really happened to Ilke?! Because we still don't know.
- What's up with randomly adding all these gods? They were not there before, but now there are so many of them. Ok? This is not consistent with the other books.
- Why are we having a Game of Thrones plot where frozen people and "the living dead" is coming from the North? Hm...
- Iza is the least interesting character so far, and I hate how she thought herself better because she wasn't into "girly" things. Also how they treated her when she was being framed? Again I felt Alk was so out of character <.< I know it has been 20 years but still.
- Ethos is by far the most interesting character, I enjoyed his parts a lot. The whole idea of animals in necklaces were interesting, and it reminded me of the previous books where the author introduced us to new magical things in the world. WHICH I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED. But for some reason he decided to hold back on information on it and it gets explained really late how it works? I didn't really see a good reason for that.
- The whole book feels like a build-up and setting story for the next book, normal for a book in the middle of the series perhaps, not the first.
- ALSO OMG. the reveal with sha-ra and mentor? i died and was very confused, but also it was a bit cool? interesting to see how that will play out. is sha-ra really alive?

I'm still excited for everything that is to come. These books have been my passion for so many years, that is why I have so many thoughts. Would possible have given the book 3-3.5 stars, but I love the world always so it gets a 4.

Things I want/predict in the next instalments:
- MORE. ILKE.
- Ilke and Alk meeting, but I have a feeling Ilke and Iza will meet before, and before that again Iza and Ethos (she is on her way to his city after all).
- They have to go to the North to save it, because the "white walkers" (lol) are coming.
- JOLSAH NEEDS TO BE THERE.
- AZUR NEEDS TO BE THERE.
- MILLIAN NEEDS TO BE THERE.

*now goes in a corner and waits for book 2*