Ahoy there mateys! Another fantastic young fantasy book by Kelley Armstrong. This is the sequel to her book Sea of Shadows. I loved every moment. It was another quick read where the time flew by. It was wonderful to revisit the twins, Moria and Ashyn. They are both growing up and learning to deal with circumstances alone.

One of my favorite aspects of these girls is that when dealing with the heartache and hopefulness of young love, they handle the situations a lot better than many of the young girls I have known, myself included sadly. When love lets them down, they do not belittle themselves for failing or lessen their self esteem. They hurt and grieve and handle the situation with aplomb. Moria is the sister who is more practical about love and sex. Ashyn is the romantic who wants the fairytale.

I also liked the juxtaposition of the two girls in that aspect. While love and sex are not taken lightly in the book, it is also more realistic than the average book for teens. Moria and Ashyn are not permitted to marry because of their positions as Keeper and Seeker. That does not mean that they are not allowed to love and take lovers. Though each girl deals with the idea differently, I am glad to see that girls are not shamed for desiring and wanting meaningful relationships and love. It is a trend in young adult books with which I agree.

The other two items that stand out in this book for me were a new secondary character and the ending. The new secondary character is a woman named Guin. I will not state more than her story is poignant and lovely. Read it for yourself. And the ending was another fun one. While not as shocking as the in the first book, the ending was another great cliff hanger. The third book, Forest of Ruin comes out on April 5, 2016. It is going to be a long wait.

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