Meanwhile in Neroche, Adhemar, the king himself, starts his own quest. The magic in his sword, a bastion of power for every king before him, no longer responds to him and he needs to find a wielder for its sister sword to protect the realm. At the urging of his archmage, Miach - who is also his youngest brother - he travels through the land incognito looking for someone worthy to bear the sword. After months of fruitless searching, he finds himself in Melksham, a small island known for nothing more than sheep and squabbles over water rights. It's the last place he would've expected to find a wielder, but when an encounter with Morgan goes awry, he decides to travel with them for a bit on the way back to Neroche.
Morgan is not impressed with Adhemar; another dolt given the king's name by hopeful parents, he's demanding, boastful, and his swordplay isn't nearly as impressive as he seems to think it is. In fact, it's almost as if he's relying on an extra bit of something that simply isn't there. Despite her best efforts, he insists on traveling with them as they make their way north, which, unfortunately for her, requires a sea journey. One crippling bout of seasickness later, they reach the mainland, but Morgan's troubles are just beginning. Nightmares of terrible deeds plague her sleep every night, they're attacked by strange, monstrous creatures on the road, and she can almost hear the enchanted blade buried in her pack singing to her. Still trying to shake off her illness from being at sea, it's hard enough just to put one foot in front of the other every day.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Adhemar's brother shows up to check on him, but she soon learns that Miach is nothing like his prideful older brother. Although he has magic of his own and almost no interest in swordsmanship, his quiet, steady attentiveness and wry sense of humor remind her of Nicholas and she finds herself spending more and more time with him. For the first time in her life, she starts to let her walls down. But Miach, falling harder for Morgan every day, is becoming increasingly convinced that successful completion of their mission will ruin her life. He dreads the day she finds out who he truly is and desperately struggles to balance his duty to the kingdom with his love for her. As they get closer to Neroche, it becomes apparent that her mysterious past is drawing her to a role she has no desire to fulfill and she loses more of herself the closer they get. The fate of the realm is in her hands, but it may just cost her everything she knows and holds dear.
I've been in a bit of a reading slump for a couple of weeks and I just haven't been able to start anything new, so I finally decided to go back to an old favorite. Everyone that reads has those books they revisit again and again like a security blanket and this is one of mine. I love absolutely everything about this story. Morgan is a fiercely independent warrior as a result of her past and has a hard time letting her guard down even with Nicholas and her friends, who obviously care for her and are very protective even though she doesn't seem to want or need it. She knows what her strengths are and plays to them... until she gets dragged into this adventure that's so far outside the norm, it makes her start to question everything she knows about herself. Then Miach comes along.
As Morgan herself says, he's like a comfortable pair of boots. He gently teases her without asking her to change, cares for her when she's ill or injured on more than one occasion, runs with her when she needs to get away, and comforts her when she has nightmares and the weight of the quest starts to bring her down. In exchange, she gives him loyalty, affection, and companionship that isn't angling for a go at his power or position as archmage. Some of their interactions are positively swoon-worthy and seeing their relationship develop - and how it gradually changes their characters individually - is one of my favorite parts of the book.
My other favorite part is the nonstop banter between just about all of the characters. Morgan and her other mercenary friends, Adhemar and Miach, Morgan and Miach, and even random side characters all share in the banter. It's made even funnier given that one of the companions recognizes both Adhemar and Miach for who they really are and spends the whole novel trying not to spill the beans, not to mention Miach - an absolutely terrible liar - trying to cover up that he knows more than he should if he really were just a simple farmer. That's not to say that the whole novel is just funny or just a romance, though; these elements are woven through an action-packed plot with pitched battles, heated arguments, side quests, frustrating dilemmas, and even a couple genuinely heartbreaking scenes, especially near the end. I think it's difficult to successfully combine all of these things in a way that doesn't seem over the top or disingenuous, but this book does it and does it very well.
Pros:
- Banter for DAYS
- The most perfect romance ever??
- World building = *chef's kiss*
Cons:
- Nothing
- Zilch
- Nada
No comments:
Post a Comment