Ahoy there me mateys!  This book is the second in a trilogy.  This novella overlaps slightly and continues after the book Who Fears Death.  According to the author's foreword for this story, it should not be read without knowledge of that novel.  Unlike the first book, this middle novella is lighter on action and is much more reflective.  The main character, Najeeba, is training to be a sorcerer and is dealing with the trauma of the past.

What I really found fascinating wasn't Najeeba's training (as cool as it was) but the themes of memory and trauma.  Najeeba's daughter, Onyesonwu, had Changed the world for the better.  The problem is that people don't remember the world as it was with the exception of Najeeba and a few others.  Najeeba has the memories of the Before and the Now.  She has sorrow because Onyesonwu saved the world and no one remembers her.  She misses her deceased husband.  She misses the friends that no longer remember their prior bond.  She chooses to keep going and have a greater goal rather than give up on life.  Najeeba becomes better acquainted with her own power and who she wants to be.  She might still make mistakes based on her trauma but she is growing and maturing in how she handles those issues.

However, just because the world became better didn't mean that all evil had left the world.  Those with no memories of the Before still have residual effects from the trauma in their pasts.  A person finds themselves wanting to leave a spouse or move to a new town seemingly out of the blue.  This is because the trauma leaves a mark on the being.  I loved the juxtaposition of Najeeba dealing with her two sets of memories and the stories and consequences  of the Change on regular folk.

The other aspect that I loved was how these novellas about Najeeba wrap around and comment on Onyesonwu's story.  I don't normally need the Before and Now after the saving the world but in this case how they intertwine and cause the reader to reevaluate the original novel is just so thought-provoking and wonderful.  Najeeba gets to learn about her daughter on multiple levels.  She even shares the same teacher.  I cannot wait for the final book in the trilogy and seeing how Najeeba continues to fight evil in her past and follow Onyesonwu's legacy into the future.  Arrrr!