Read my review of the first book in the Kingdoms of Pelas series, Zyon.
This book picks up immediately after the events of the first, in which our heroes are fleeing their life of slavery and searching for the “Resistance.” While not everything is perfection, the opening third of this story features plenty of good moments of physical and emotional healing while the characters experience something close to safety for the first time in years. However, the revelation of Theon’s magical ability invites plenty of opportunity for conflict both within this family and with external influences.
Though Theon is the character that links everyone in this family together, the various bonds between others in his “harem” are given equal weight and importance. I also appreciate that not all of those bonds are purely physical, but instead emphasize elements of friendship and found family. Though I was unsurprised that the long-term happiness of this family is threatened by Theon’s inability to control his powers, his (and Florin’s) reaction to this problem verges into “too stupid to live” territory. Luckily, Braz was currently in possession of the collective brain cell, otherwise this might have been a much darker story. The best intentions don’t always translate to good ideas, but change brings growth, and I wasn’t mad about the resulting relationship development that occurred between the Weylyn/Nica and Braz/Florin pairings along the way.
The poignant aftermath of Theon’s decision did fulfill all my expectations, fortunately, but in the process, I fear that Theon made some promises he might not be able to keep. The grand finale of this particular installment of the series was almost anticlimactic in that regard, but the events do set up the promise of epic adventure and conflict for the final act. Since I’m currently unclear how the Resistance plans to operate or rule once they achieve their endgame of ending slavery, I foresee plenty of opportunity for this wonderfully unique found family to face external threats while also encountering strife that forces the characters and relationships to grow even further.