Review by Kirkus Book Review
Romance encounters war's grim realities in this follow-up to 2021's Forestborn. They survived the magical Vale, but Prince Weslyn of Telyan and shape-shifting siblings Helos and Rora failed in their quest for a cure for the fatal Fallow Throes. Now the three and the ailing Prince Finley, Weslyn's brother, plunge into a war started by King Jol of Eradain, a genocidal but popular leader determined to eradicate magic--from people, plants, animals, and the land itself--to avert the ominous Prediction and prevent another land-rending Rupturing. He's also Helos and Rora's half brother. War soon separates the romantic pairs--Helos and Fin, Rora and Wes--as previously happy-go-lucky Helos serves as a battle medic, academic Wes serves as a soldier for newly crowned Queen Violet, and Rora infiltrates Eradain to restore magic, raze the prison, and confront Jol. In this somewhat preindustrial, vaguely Northern Hemisphere setting, magic users are shunned or imprisoned, purged or forced underground (literally). Despite their service to the crown and royal connections, Helos and Rora fear persecution and prejudice if they reveal their ability to shift into three kinds of animal and other people; their powers offer endless escapes and undercover opportunities but also earn distrust. Becker includes a lot of issues--abandonment, discrimination, PTSD--that would have benefited from deeper development but shines at scenic descriptions. The Telyan royals read as White, while Helos and Rora have olive skin; secondary characters are diverse in skin tone. Fans of the first volume may appreciate this duology closer. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
