I was honestly bummed, because I had been looking forward to this one for so long. I absolutely loved book one, Shield of Sparrows, and went into this sequel with very high expectations. This one just didn’t hit me the same way at first. Through almost the entire book it felt like when a favorite TV show suddenly shifts its focus and starts setting up a spinoff,. I can see the ambition here, I know there was a reason behind it and I am glad I did not bail.
The biggest hurdle for me was the introduction of a new point of view character, Caspia. I spent so much time wondering who she was and why I was supposed to be so invested in her story. But in the end it all came together and made total sense. I almost DNFed and that would have been a shame
I also want to be fair and acknowledge that format may have played a role in my experience. I read Shield of Sparrows as an ebook and let my imagination set the tone. For this book, I switched to the audiobook. While the narration and production are clearly well done and widely praised, they just didn’t work for me. My imagination was apparently much kinder to these characters than the narrators’ interpretations, and that disconnect made it harder to stay immersed, especially during slower, exposition heavy sections. Side note: Deep, low voices might be sexy in real life, but they can be surprisingly hard to hear and follow in an audiobook. I did stick withbit and am grateful I did.
I will absolutely be reading book three. The foundation of this series is strong.. Excellent writing.
★ ★ ★ ★z
I always prefer reading to watching or listening. There is something about reading that makes imagination fly. I will look for book one and read it.
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