Published: August 22, 2017
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Licanius Trilogy #2
Pages: 752 (Hardcover)
My Rating: 3.5/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.Synopsis:
In the wake of the devastating attack on Ilin Illan, an amnesty has been declared for all Augurs – finally allowing them to emerge from hiding and openly oppose the dark forces massing against Andarra. However as Davian and his new allies hurry north toward the ever-weakening Boundary, fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late.
In the capital, Wirr is forced to contend with assassins and an increasingly hostile Administration as he controversially assumes the mantle of Northwarden, uncovering a mystery that draws into question everything commonly believed about the rebellion his father led twenty years ago. Meanwhile, Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows, determined to discover not only where they went but the origin of the Vessels that created them – and, ultimately, a cure.
And with time against him as he races to fulfill the treacherous bargain with the Lyth, Caeden continues to wrestle with the impossibly heavy burdens of his past. Yet as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realise that the motivations of the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed…
The Shadow of What Was Lost was one of my favorite fantasy books when it was released as an audiobook a few years ago. I recently did a re-read and loved it just as much the second time, despite the fact that I’m infinitely more critical once I’ve already read a book. An Echo of Things to Come was one of my most highly anticipated sequels of the year, but unfortunately it didn’t strike the same resonance with me as the first installment.
While the characters are for the most part, those we know and love from the first installment, the dynamic just didn’t seem to be there this time. I think this stems from the fact that each of them has gone their own way and been given their own PoV chapters. Caeden, Asha, Davian, and Wirr don’t feel as cohesive as they once did and they lack personality in comparison to the previous book. Caeden is portaling to every corner of the continent, uncovering hidden memories, and running into old pals. His portion of the book felt like an info dump, coupled with a wishy-washy dilemma over whether he was on the side of good or evil, with a splash of self-loathing for good measure. I liked him in the first book, but this time around Caeden was irritating. Asha continues to be a favorite of mine, but I found myself enjoying all the characters less than I had anticipated.
Events seem to be more the focus of this book than the characters. There are SO many events happening that I can barely remember all of what I would consider to be major plot points. There’s an assassination attempt, Caeden’s numerous barrages of memory, a rogue auger, and so many secrets that I can’t keep track of them. This book just has a bit too much going on and I feel that the story would have benefited from a somewhat more leisurely pace. This isn’t a small book by any means, clocking in at over 700 pages, but I think it would have been best as either a longer book or two separate books.
Overall, this was still a very good story – I read the last 350-ish pages in one sitting because I was absolutely engrossed. I know my review has focused on the negative aspects, but James Islington has written a really cool story, set in an interesting and storied world. The legends come alive, there’s the struggle between what’s good versus evil, and it’s got a nice save the world quest as the main theme. It’s a very compelling story and I hope the I won’t have to wait too terribly long for the finale!
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