My dear bookish friends,
Today I have for you my review of a sequel of a new fantasy series I really like, so if you are looking for a read that offers some escapism you should definitely have a look at this one! Big thank you to TheWriteReads and the author Kristin Ward for my ecopy of this book and my spot on the tour – neither of which affected my review in any way. Read on to find out more about book 2 in the Daughter of Erabel series, and for my review!
The Blurb
Mysterious. Hidden. Sacred. Erabel is the beating heart of Dorcha Wood. And its heir has come home.
Fleeing the man who betrayed her, Fiadh returns to her beloved forest, into its heart, to discover her people. And herself. With the aid of Caelan, an Aos Sí warrior, she explores her birthright, a world safeguarded from the corruption of mankind. There, she learns the history of a mighty race and the vastness of the power coursing through her blood.
But beyond Erabel’s boundaries, men are flocking, rallying to an evil lord who covets the strength flowing in Fiadh’s veins. They have their eyes fixed on the lost kingdom of the Aos Sí, and it’s only a matter of time before they breach those borders and come for Fiadh and all who protect her.
All around her, the world is closing in, as some plot in shadows, and others in the stark light of day.
**Content Warning: As a dark historical fantasy, this series contains graphic medieval battle scenes in addition to passages containing violence, blood, and gore.
My Review
Most times when I read a second book in a series – especially by an indie author – it falls a little short of the original. It’s often as if it lacks a little something, or feels like a filler between the first book and the inevitable 3rd part. Blood of the Lost Kingdom is different. In some ways, it is even BETTER than the first book! (If you’ve missed my review of book one, you can check it out here!)
The story once again revolves around Fiadh and Gideon. They are now separated and on different paths. Fiadh has returned to Dorcha Wood and is learning who she is, where she comes from, and what her powers are. Gideon is on his own journey of revenge (but it’s actually a journey of redemption).
There were two things that stood out to me in this book. The first was Gideon and the way the author softened his character and started to make him more likeable. I didn’t like him much in the first book at all, and was prepared to not like him much in this one either, but when he rescues a young girl, Aishling, and cares for her, I actually started to develop a soft spot for him.
The second aspect that I really liked was Threa’s story (unfortunately I can’t say much about her without giving spoilers!!), but I found it quite strong and emotional, especially the end of her story.
In some ways the book is still a bit of a setup book for book 3, but the author still managed to make it very worthy in its own right, through strong writing, evolving characters and powerful emotions.
I gave the first book 4.5 stars, and I think this one deserves 4.5 stars as well. It would have been the full 5 but I found a few parts of the early Fiadh story in it a little slow; we got introduced to some new fun characters here, but it was still just a little slow for a few chapters, and until Threa entered into it I was actually preferring Gideon’s story to Fiadh’s.
Overall though this was a great read that has me looking forward to the next in the series! Thank you all so much for reading, and do let me know if you will pick this series up!
xoxo
Noly
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Strong sequel in a new fantasy series!
