Ahoy there mateys! I was able to track down a copy of this sequel to death sworn at my local library. Overall, it was a fun and good ending to the main character, Ileni’s, story. This novel starts out with Ileni captured by the Empire’s sorceress. Ileni is offered a choice that will enable her to regain her magic . . . but at what cost? Again this author seems to focus on Ileni’s thoughts and growth and agony in her choices regarding the knowledge she obtains and what to do with it. Unlike the first novel, this one seems a little more disjointed in how the plot is laid out. The main character seems to waffle a whole bunch with no major events occurring. The new characters are fun but not particularly deep. The secrets of the Empire and its magic seem self-explanatory and predictable. I could have done without the love story choices in this book. But the choices that Ileni finally makes concerning her magic and role in the world were very interesting and not predictable. The ending of the novel made me feel better about how more realistic the ending was than the average young adult book. A happy ending for me. I am not sure if others would be disappointed. However the ending felt appropriate for the world the author created and redeemed the book’s minor shortcomings. I am glad I was able to read the conclusion of this story. That being said, should the author write more in this world, I would not be opposed to traveling to this port again.

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