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The Chanters of Tremaris #2
The Waterless Sea
The second novel in the captivating Chanters of Tremaris trilogy follows Calwyn and her friends to the desolate Merithuran Empire. As they search for a group of kidnapped children who have the gift of chantment, they must negotiate both the unforgiving desert and the even more treacherous Palace of cobwebs, where they uncover the dreadful secret that holds the Empire together. Meanwhile, Darrow has broken away from the group to form a new alliance of his own. Can he still be trusted? In this audiobook, Calwyn's quest for peace and justice has greater consequences than she ever could have imagined.
From the Cassette edition.
From the Cassette edition.
Audio
First published August 1, 2003
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About the author
Kate Constable
24 books282 followersKate Constable was born in Sangringham, Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). When she was six-years-old, her family moved to Papua New Guinea where her father worked as a pilot.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
July 15, 2014
I loved this book even more than the first one. The plot actually progressed from B to C (Merithuros is now on its way towards healing) unlike some middle-of-trilogy books. I still find Kate Constable's writing very dream-like and uplifting, and I love that the Chosen One is a teenage girl with doubts and fear and drama, one who has to grow up: not just age, but deal with her feelings, cope internally with ambiguous outcomes, and learn to both weild power and command (not merely demand) respect.
I think Calwyn's struggle to figure out how to relate to Darrow is realistic: he's an uncommunicative and preoccupied older male who likes her but has other things on his mind. He's just likable enough to keep the reader (and Calwyn) with him. I enjoyed Tonno as the well-meaning guy-who-doesn't-get-it. Mica became sort of irritating in this book however, as her brash defensiveness got in the way of good judgment. I also enjoyed the dichotomy between Calwyn's mystical healing and Darrow's practical, magic-free handling of daily administration in a crisis situation. Constable seems to know it takes all kinds to make a world. Her world-view is modern without being too preachily P.C., and her handling of the inner experience of magic/mysticism is a real strength.
I think Calwyn's struggle to figure out how to relate to Darrow is realistic: he's an uncommunicative and preoccupied older male who likes her but has other things on his mind. He's just likable enough to keep the reader (and Calwyn) with him. I enjoyed Tonno as the well-meaning guy-who-doesn't-get-it. Mica became sort of irritating in this book however, as her brash defensiveness got in the way of good judgment. I also enjoyed the dichotomy between Calwyn's mystical healing and Darrow's practical, magic-free handling of daily administration in a crisis situation. Constable seems to know it takes all kinds to make a world. Her world-view is modern without being too preachily P.C., and her handling of the inner experience of magic/mysticism is a real strength.
September 3, 2014
Both the books I have read in this trilogy so far have left me confused and thoughtful. I can say it does not have that terrible fault of being just like every fantasy book ever written (except for the three-book format and the one-special-girl-destined-to-save-the-world aspect, but those, I suppose, are forgivable). The series and the writer are ripe with potential, but there are off notes in the attempted melody. I'll try to identify them properly--then maybe I will have some idea of what I think.
First, the good.
-The music-based "chanting" is creative--I thought at first it sounded rather stiff and pretentious, and perhaps once or twice it was, but really it was a good idea, well executed.
-The Palace of Cobwebs, and Hathara, and Spareth (first book), were really quite brilliant pieces of work. Her world-building is imperfect, but it makes up for its inconsistencies with a few glimmering gems of great, imaginative creation.
-Darrow and Calwyn do not make me want to kill anyone. They're not destined lovers, each captive of the other's inhuman beauty or what have you. In fact, Darrow is quite a gruff, unromantic sort, and they spend a great deal of time apart, or avoiding each other. There is an unfortunate flip-side to this, but more on that later.
-The three moons are one of those little gems. Not the idea of multiple moons, which is a fairly obvious device in fantasy or science fiction, but the way she uses them, the associations they have, the names of the different phases. It adds interest and shows off, just a little.
Now, the not so good.
-The flip-side of Calwyn's and Darrow's more moderate romance is that it is rather too plain and Puritan. I don't want chapters of them aching with need for one another, or catching fire when the other one so much as looks at them, but sometimes the connection is just not believable. There's not enough there to hold them together, at least not that is made clear to the reader. Besides a long journey together and a tendency to annoy each other, there is nothing that shows a real spark, or at least nothing that invests the reader in their romance. I have no clue why they are in love.
-Halasaa is a great guy and all, and his mind-speech is a bit of interest, but the "All is one in the river of the circle of the tree of the great potato of life" spiel gets overbearing, like the wise, tree-hugging American Indian cliche or the old gnome in Upton Sinclair's The Gnomobile.
-The writing is good in fits and starts, but there's no consistency--in the next paragraph it can slide back into the mediocre. A promising thought or great line will peek through the fabric of the story, but the author either doesn't explore it or she beats it to death, usually by making use of poor sage Halasaa.
-She leans too heavily on the "givens" of the fantasy genre that no one is supposed to admit are given--the attributes of a true hero, the triumph of friends and love and loyalty over power and cruelty, the standard wants-to-rule the world villain, the temptations of ambition and power--they are the mainstay of practically any good fantasy, but they lose power if taken for granted. The writer has to find a balance between beating the reader over the head with them and assuming that everyone knows the spiel and using them only as convenience suits them. She (or he, but as I am a girl) has to assert their importance and explore them as if they are new ideas without sounding preachy or pretentious. She has to convey through her figurative pen that those ideals and temptations have personal meaning to her, and not simply refer the reader to Tolkien or C.S. Lewis for more details.
Well, I think the voices in my head have come to a general consensus. It is a promising series from a promising writer, and worth reading if you are willing to dig a little and endure a little, but for those of you who prefer your gold already purified and cut into tidy blocks, you may need to look for a more experienced author.
First, the good.
-The music-based "chanting" is creative--I thought at first it sounded rather stiff and pretentious, and perhaps once or twice it was, but really it was a good idea, well executed.
-The Palace of Cobwebs, and Hathara, and Spareth (first book), were really quite brilliant pieces of work. Her world-building is imperfect, but it makes up for its inconsistencies with a few glimmering gems of great, imaginative creation.
-Darrow and Calwyn do not make me want to kill anyone. They're not destined lovers, each captive of the other's inhuman beauty or what have you. In fact, Darrow is quite a gruff, unromantic sort, and they spend a great deal of time apart, or avoiding each other. There is an unfortunate flip-side to this, but more on that later.
-The three moons are one of those little gems. Not the idea of multiple moons, which is a fairly obvious device in fantasy or science fiction, but the way she uses them, the associations they have, the names of the different phases. It adds interest and shows off, just a little.
Now, the not so good.
-The flip-side of Calwyn's and Darrow's more moderate romance is that it is rather too plain and Puritan. I don't want chapters of them aching with need for one another, or catching fire when the other one so much as looks at them, but sometimes the connection is just not believable. There's not enough there to hold them together, at least not that is made clear to the reader. Besides a long journey together and a tendency to annoy each other, there is nothing that shows a real spark, or at least nothing that invests the reader in their romance. I have no clue why they are in love.
-Halasaa is a great guy and all, and his mind-speech is a bit of interest, but the "All is one in the river of the circle of the tree of the great potato of life" spiel gets overbearing, like the wise, tree-hugging American Indian cliche or the old gnome in Upton Sinclair's The Gnomobile.
-The writing is good in fits and starts, but there's no consistency--in the next paragraph it can slide back into the mediocre. A promising thought or great line will peek through the fabric of the story, but the author either doesn't explore it or she beats it to death, usually by making use of poor sage Halasaa.
-She leans too heavily on the "givens" of the fantasy genre that no one is supposed to admit are given--the attributes of a true hero, the triumph of friends and love and loyalty over power and cruelty, the standard wants-to-rule the world villain, the temptations of ambition and power--they are the mainstay of practically any good fantasy, but they lose power if taken for granted. The writer has to find a balance between beating the reader over the head with them and assuming that everyone knows the spiel and using them only as convenience suits them. She (or he, but as I am a girl) has to assert their importance and explore them as if they are new ideas without sounding preachy or pretentious. She has to convey through her figurative pen that those ideals and temptations have personal meaning to her, and not simply refer the reader to Tolkien or C.S. Lewis for more details.
Well, I think the voices in my head have come to a general consensus. It is a promising series from a promising writer, and worth reading if you are willing to dig a little and endure a little, but for those of you who prefer your gold already purified and cut into tidy blocks, you may need to look for a more experienced author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2014
Setting/World Building: 4/5
Main Character: 4/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Triggering/Issues: 4/5 (Some sexism)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 3/5 out of 4, rounded to 3.
This wasn't a bad book... it just also wasn't a great book? I think it really was a solid 3.5 stars, and it was definitely the last 1/4th of the book that brought it up to that. The beginning really dragged. It was mostly just them walking through the dessert and getting to court. At first, I liked the way the two MCs were pining for one another, because I thought it was going to lead to a good reunion, but no... they reunite, and then they went right back to not talking to each other and keeping secrets like they always do.
I mean, I like a bit of angst in a relationship story, but I hate when it just feels kind of forced, and doesn't make much sense. You both spent like 200 pages longing for each other, missing each other, wanting to fix things. Why on earth when you got back together would you just go back to lying and keeping things back again? It's even a line in the actual book: "All the old distance of last winter lay between them still; nothing had changed since the day he'd sailed away." Yes, and do you know how annoying that is, Calwyn?
To be honest I think besides the slow pace of the beginning, the romance was what knocked it down a bit for me. I understand Darrow is mysterious and all, but he's also kind of a jerk about it. Yet somehow, it always ends up being Calwyn's fault for "not trusting him", even though, you know, never telling her anything doesn't exactly make you worth trusting.
Anyway, it's a good world at least, and I do like the magic, and of course I'm gonna read on to see what happens in the third book. (Although, I saw a spoiler about something that does happen and I know I'm not gonna like it.)
Main Character: 4/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Triggering/Issues: 4/5 (Some sexism)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 3/5 out of 4, rounded to 3.
This wasn't a bad book... it just also wasn't a great book? I think it really was a solid 3.5 stars, and it was definitely the last 1/4th of the book that brought it up to that. The beginning really dragged. It was mostly just them walking through the dessert and getting to court. At first, I liked the way the two MCs were pining for one another, because I thought it was going to lead to a good reunion, but no... they reunite, and then they went right back to not talking to each other and keeping secrets like they always do.
I mean, I like a bit of angst in a relationship story, but I hate when it just feels kind of forced, and doesn't make much sense. You both spent like 200 pages longing for each other, missing each other, wanting to fix things. Why on earth when you got back together would you just go back to lying and keeping things back again? It's even a line in the actual book: "All the old distance of last winter lay between them still; nothing had changed since the day he'd sailed away." Yes, and do you know how annoying that is, Calwyn?
To be honest I think besides the slow pace of the beginning, the romance was what knocked it down a bit for me. I understand Darrow is mysterious and all, but he's also kind of a jerk about it. Yet somehow, it always ends up being Calwyn's fault for "not trusting him", even though, you know, never telling her anything doesn't exactly make you worth trusting.
Anyway, it's a good world at least, and I do like the magic, and of course I'm gonna read on to see what happens in the third book. (Although, I saw a spoiler about something that does happen and I know I'm not gonna like it.)
March 4, 2018
The second book in The Chanters of Tremaris was just as good as the first. Picking up shortly after the end of The Singer of All Songs, we find Calwyn, Halasaa, Mica, Torro, and Trout working together to make the seas safe from pirates. The only member missing from their gang is Darrow, who has retreated into sullen silences and taken himself off to mourn in privacy over Samis’s fate. When a new mission presents itself to Calwyn, she, Mica, Halasaa, and Torro sail to the desert lands of Merithuros. Their adventures bring allies to their cause and sets them against an entirely new set of adversaries.
This was a fast, enjoyable read that ended on a bit of cliffhanger. Luckily, I have the last book waiting for me in my TBR pile.
This was a fast, enjoyable read that ended on a bit of cliffhanger. Luckily, I have the last book waiting for me in my TBR pile.
August 21, 2022
I honestly do not know.
This book was weird. I still do not understand how Merithuros came to be. It honestly sounds like a bunch of white people colonized the land...I still don't understand why there are white people living here when the culture and land are clearly inspired by Egyptian/African history and folklore. The clans definitely aren't white, and the white people seem to be congregated all at the royal court, so??
The book felt much slower and was mostly taken up by travelling. And then we get to the end and stuff actually starts happening, but Darrow is also back and I honestly really hate him and have no idea what Calwyn sees in him. The one scene where Calwyn thinks maybe she should marry Halassa instead and have kids with him and they should run their little chantment school together was honestly so cute and fit so much better than whatever Calwyn thinks she has with Darrow.
Darrow is the classic moody, secretive love interest, who runs off to mope at sea, and then comes back and refuses to confide in his girlfriend and then blames her for hiding stuff from him? And he's jealous of a random guy Calwyn is travelling with who has shown absolutely zero interest in her. The power imbalance in this relationship is just gross and I hate it. I don't get the chemistry or anything. Halassa and Calwyn have a lot more going for them, even though I hate Halassa's power of healing anything and everything.
Will I finish this trilogy because I'm stubborn? Yes, but I will be annoyed.
This book was weird. I still do not understand how Merithuros came to be. It honestly sounds like a bunch of white people colonized the land...I still don't understand why there are white people living here when the culture and land are clearly inspired by Egyptian/African history and folklore. The clans definitely aren't white, and the white people seem to be congregated all at the royal court, so??
The book felt much slower and was mostly taken up by travelling. And then we get to the end and stuff actually starts happening, but Darrow is also back and I honestly really hate him and have no idea what Calwyn sees in him. The one scene where Calwyn thinks maybe she should marry Halassa instead and have kids with him and they should run their little chantment school together was honestly so cute and fit so much better than whatever Calwyn thinks she has with Darrow.
Darrow is the classic moody, secretive love interest, who runs off to mope at sea, and then comes back and refuses to confide in his girlfriend and then blames her for hiding stuff from him? And he's jealous of a random guy Calwyn is travelling with who has shown absolutely zero interest in her. The power imbalance in this relationship is just gross and I hate it. I don't get the chemistry or anything. Halassa and Calwyn have a lot more going for them, even though I hate Halassa's power of healing anything and everything.
Will I finish this trilogy because I'm stubborn? Yes, but I will be annoyed.
December 7, 2014
Wow this series is a favorite of all time for me. I hate when the second book drags threw a series but this did not disappoint! I just love the characters and the amazing abilities and changes that happen! I just truly enjoyed these book and will give them the highest compliment I can and read them to my kids.
Re- read to my girls 13 and 15. This is a darker book when read out loud to my kids, serious challenges are faced by our characters and many near death experiences keep you on edge as this book unfolds. You meet new characters that give the story more depth and some really good bad guys. The setting is just unreal, you actually feel hot and thirsty as you read. My girls are loving it and can't wait to start the next book.
Re- read to my girls 13 and 15. This is a darker book when read out loud to my kids, serious challenges are faced by our characters and many near death experiences keep you on edge as this book unfolds. You meet new characters that give the story more depth and some really good bad guys. The setting is just unreal, you actually feel hot and thirsty as you read. My girls are loving it and can't wait to start the next book.
February 9, 2017
I loved The Waterless Sea almost as much as the first book in the trilogy. My only complaint with this one was that there was not enough of Darrow in the book. It did however, give insight into who he was and detailed important events from his past. There were a few times I felt like the story dragged a little, but it didn’t bother me too much. I’ll definitely be reading the next book.
June 10, 2015
Wonderful story. Beautifully written. Love the characters.
August 26, 2020
Excellent read. I love that Calwyn is discovering her powers, but her reactions to them are still human, and she still possesses human character flaws and personality traits. I’m always here for a well-written, badass female lead!
September 30, 2025
I'll keep this at three stars. I enjoyed it more than I did when I read it when I was in high-school. I remember this book feeling frustrating and slow, but I have more patience now for it. One, Darrow just leaving for no reason. And reading it this second time it feels like he left for no reason and I was not satisfied with the reasoning as to why he left in the first place. It felt like forced drama. Two, the cobweb palace. Those chapters are slow and the politics have no depth. I think she did a good enough job, but it wasn't truly interesting to me.
Overall, how it ended makes me dread the next book. I hate it when that happens to characters and they whine a lot and get bitter. It just makes for a hard read for me. And the stupid relationship drama. As a teen the drama and tension was somewhat exciting if not frustrating. But as an adult it's annoying. I hate pointless drama. I hate one person pushing the other away because they're hurting or withholding information because of some lame reasoning.
Overall, how it ended makes me dread the next book. I hate it when that happens to characters and they whine a lot and get bitter. It just makes for a hard read for me. And the stupid relationship drama. As a teen the drama and tension was somewhat exciting if not frustrating. But as an adult it's annoying. I hate pointless drama. I hate one person pushing the other away because they're hurting or withholding information because of some lame reasoning.
October 8, 2021
Still really enjoying this series. Some folks have complained about the romance, but I actually really like how realistic it seems: . I like the side characters a lot as well--Mica especially--and the pacing really works for me. Anyway, since it ends on a pretty heart wrenching note, I'm dying to read the third book ASAP!
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Reread: So, yeah, I’m still not loving this series as much this time as I did the first time through, but it’s still enjoyable.
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Reread: So, yeah, I’m still not loving this series as much this time as I did the first time through, but it’s still enjoyable.
February 26, 2008
This was okay. The second of a trilogy, I would have been confused had I not read the first of the three. As it was, I had read the first quite some time ago and I struggled to remember it. I feel sort of apathetic about the book as I am writing this after reading the third book in the trilogy and I was so unimpressed that it made the whole trilogy seem sort of like a waste of time. Full of chants and magic, so if you're into that sort of thing, maybe you might enjoy it.
January 9, 2010
Maybe I was just too tired, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. It wasn't a waste of time, but I was mostly bugged by Calwin's whining. I like strong heroines and I kept wanting her to be like Min from Mistborn. I did like the ending, though, and I'm interested to see how she resolves it in the third book.
April 23, 2015
Wow! What a difference from the first book! The plot developed a lot more in this one and I felt the characters were much more developed also. It added so much to the story to hear Darrows past. He is a much more likable character now. We also get to know Halasaa a lot more in this book too. Calwyn continues to be a meaningful character as she gets older. Overall, much better than the first one. If you are looking for a good classic fantasy book, this is a great series.
April 25, 2008
I liked this one better than the first book, but Marianna found this book sad.
August 24, 2025
Initially, this book was hard to get into, perhaps because I skipped the first book in the series. Eventually, however, the vivid characters and unique settings won me over.
March 18, 2018
It's been years since I read the first book in this series. From that perspective--from forgetting everything but the end--I found this sequel did a remarkably good job of reminding me what happened and reintroducing me to the characters while feeling consistent with this new voyage. I'm not in love, but I did enjoy the book, which stands up credibly well to the breadth of fantasy worlds out there. Some of the fantastical names and places felt hard to follow, but in a "how do I pronounce this?" way, not a "which one was that?" way. Constable writes with a clarity that helps communicate backstory, yet other times it feels too overt or repetitive, like she doesn't know when to trust the reader to follow along. I distinctly wanted to take a red pen and edit the text to my tastes, often by cutting or rephrasing a sentence, and I never enjoy that feeling while I'm reading. And yet I embraced the diverse characters and couldn't help but support them. Constable's own affection for her band of teenage misfits shines through and kept me following their journey. (Teenage+? How old is Darrow? Calwyn's only 18?) Tonno, Halasaa, and Trout stand out as particularly inventive characters, and even Mica's stubborn willfulness proves fun to read.
For my own sake, I'd like to juxtapose it with some other fantasy novels I've read recently. It doesn't stand up to anything by Tamora Pierce, particularly her later ones, like Terrier. (The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, despite more low-key racist undertones, also manages more respect and appreciation for the desert.) It contains more creative ideas more creatively implemented than Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy, although I only read the third book recently. Parts of it reminded me a bit of Megan Whalen Turner's Thick as Thieves--but I'm not sure anyone else would see that. It most strongly felt like Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone--strong, but not quite spellbinding--or Rainbow Rowell's Carry On: good, generally, but inherently not a writing style I'll fall in love with. If you liked The Singer of All Songs, you'll enjoy this book. If, like me, you're simply curious what happens next, this tale won't disappoint, although I won't recommend it. There's plenty of amazing, women-driven (and women-authored) fantasy out there. This doesn't have to top your list.
For my own sake, I'd like to juxtapose it with some other fantasy novels I've read recently. It doesn't stand up to anything by Tamora Pierce, particularly her later ones, like Terrier. (The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, despite more low-key racist undertones, also manages more respect and appreciation for the desert.) It contains more creative ideas more creatively implemented than Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy, although I only read the third book recently. Parts of it reminded me a bit of Megan Whalen Turner's Thick as Thieves--but I'm not sure anyone else would see that. It most strongly felt like Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone--strong, but not quite spellbinding--or Rainbow Rowell's Carry On: good, generally, but inherently not a writing style I'll fall in love with. If you liked The Singer of All Songs, you'll enjoy this book. If, like me, you're simply curious what happens next, this tale won't disappoint, although I won't recommend it. There's plenty of amazing, women-driven (and women-authored) fantasy out there. This doesn't have to top your list.
September 9, 2019
[Written: January 01, 2006] | [Edited: September 09, 2019]
"The Waterless Sea" is certainly better than its predecessor, "The Singer of all songs," but it basically suffers from most of the problems the first book did. Lagging, unclear storyline, and too much focus on a particular character. At least it didn't focus so much on Calwyn's drama all this time. The second book begins with, Tonno, Trout(?), Mica, Halassaa(?), and Calwyn sailing the seas, ransacking pirate ships to make the seas safer to sail for fisherman and other sailors. It is there they meet the exiled prince, Heben, whom they mistake to a chanter, like the two girls.
The newly freed Heben pleads with the group to help find his twin brother and sisters, who had been exiled from their homeland because they were chanters and taken to the Palace of Cobwebs. Calwyn and the others agree to his pleads and join the young man through the desert to save is "bound-by-land" relations.
The storyline for the book is much better than TSOAS, though I did not like the fact that the book still focused so much on Calwyn --who has toughened up slightly from her character in the previous book -- and there were so many other characters to tell the story from different perspectives.
The characters managed to be mildly interesting, though Mica was beginning to sound like Taichi from "Digimon: Digital monsters" with her "never give up" and "if they can do it, we can do it" speeches (she really didn't to much in the book aside from object to Calwyn's extreme decisions). Halssaa had little to do in this second book (again), Tonno and Trout had small roles as well. and the return of Darrow was unexciting: His interesting character had greatly diminished (sorta like The Prince of Persia in "The Warrior Within"), replaced with a dull, annoying and jealous sort of character who wonders if Calwyn likes the exiled Heben.
The villains managed to be a lot more interesting than the previous. The Keela woman managed to under zealous with her ambitions that weren't exactly made clear. The author continues to write dialogue that would've been interesting if spoken aloud by the characters in thought, like objections or honest feelings. The book lags around the 200 page mark with chapter fillers after the action stops.
All in all the story managed to be interesting without killing itself. The most likable character in the book for me turns out to be Heben of course.
"The Waterless Sea" is certainly better than its predecessor, "The Singer of all songs," but it basically suffers from most of the problems the first book did. Lagging, unclear storyline, and too much focus on a particular character. At least it didn't focus so much on Calwyn's drama all this time. The second book begins with, Tonno, Trout(?), Mica, Halassaa(?), and Calwyn sailing the seas, ransacking pirate ships to make the seas safer to sail for fisherman and other sailors. It is there they meet the exiled prince, Heben, whom they mistake to a chanter, like the two girls.
The newly freed Heben pleads with the group to help find his twin brother and sisters, who had been exiled from their homeland because they were chanters and taken to the Palace of Cobwebs. Calwyn and the others agree to his pleads and join the young man through the desert to save is "bound-by-land" relations.
The storyline for the book is much better than TSOAS, though I did not like the fact that the book still focused so much on Calwyn --who has toughened up slightly from her character in the previous book -- and there were so many other characters to tell the story from different perspectives.
The characters managed to be mildly interesting, though Mica was beginning to sound like Taichi from "Digimon: Digital monsters" with her "never give up" and "if they can do it, we can do it" speeches (she really didn't to much in the book aside from object to Calwyn's extreme decisions). Halssaa had little to do in this second book (again), Tonno and Trout had small roles as well. and the return of Darrow was unexciting: His interesting character had greatly diminished (sorta like The Prince of Persia in "The Warrior Within"), replaced with a dull, annoying and jealous sort of character who wonders if Calwyn likes the exiled Heben.
The villains managed to be a lot more interesting than the previous. The Keela woman managed to under zealous with her ambitions that weren't exactly made clear. The author continues to write dialogue that would've been interesting if spoken aloud by the characters in thought, like objections or honest feelings. The book lags around the 200 page mark with chapter fillers after the action stops.
All in all the story managed to be interesting without killing itself. The most likable character in the book for me turns out to be Heben of course.
October 6, 2021
This book makes a good transition from the first one. I also like that there’s a year between the two. It allows for some growing room and a branching out into the new chapter of the story. Calwyn and the gang are starting to grow a bit and change into fuller versions of themselves. And I loved how you get to learn more about Darrow… but I hate how he doesn’t communicate anything to Calwyn (sometimes I just want to grab him by the ears and shake some sense into him). The reason I don’t give it five stars is because of the ending. Although I know it’s just leaving a big cliffhanger to end with the last book, I feel like it throws a lot at us at once - Calwyn’s situation, the return of someone, and the drastic changes affecting the Empire. It’s a lot to process at the end of a book. I feel like the end of a book should draw you to the next one, but still feel like a conclusion to the current one. But, it’s still a fun read and a continuation of a fun story.
August 2, 2020
I didn't like this one as much as I liked this one.
The main group is sent on another journey, this time we meet a few new characters.
I really, really liked Keela- until it turned out that she is a generic villain and a step sister to Samis- with Samis we had some mystery, with her we know from the beginning that she is not a good person. She also starts a plan, she fails miserably then just runs away- the climax wasn't as good as the first book.
And as much as I enjoyed the journey in the first book, where they journey through the world and we meet other chanters and new characters, this book's journey takes place in dessert, and it just got boring super fast.
I did like Darrow's backstory though, it was interesting, intriguing and I couldn't wait to read more about him between chapters.
The main group is sent on another journey, this time we meet a few new characters.
I really, really liked Keela- until it turned out that she is a generic villain and a step sister to Samis- with Samis we had some mystery, with her we know from the beginning that she is not a good person. She also starts a plan, she fails miserably then just runs away- the climax wasn't as good as the first book.
And as much as I enjoyed the journey in the first book, where they journey through the world and we meet other chanters and new characters, this book's journey takes place in dessert, and it just got boring super fast.
I did like Darrow's backstory though, it was interesting, intriguing and I couldn't wait to read more about him between chapters.
July 29, 2024
Overall, a very good book two of a trilogy. It had its own strong storyline, and it didn't feel like it was just getting us from point A to point B. Constable is still exhibiting her strong skills in character development and world building. I'm very excited to see what happens in the third book and how things can wrap up positively, even though things were just a touch bleak at the end of the book. The only other thing I have to add is Boooooo, Darrow sucks, boo! All my homies hate Darrow. I really wish that he was not the end game love interest, but there was like no one else that could possibly have been set up as a different love interest, so maybe he'll do a radical 180 and the third book? Kind of a long shot though, considering he was doing the exact same shit in this book as he was the first book.
July 11, 2021
With Samis dead, Calwyn and her friends have a new goal in mind. First, they’ll free as many trapped Chanters as they can, taking them to live peacefully on an island until Tremaris is ready for them. While rescuing trapped Chanters, however, Calwyn and company run into a man who tells them about two children he knows, Chanters of Iron both, who have been captured in the Empire of Merithuros, found in the middle of a great desert. Desperate to save these and the many other children who have been captured, Calwyn will have to travel to the middle of the desert, and soon learn that the evils of this land go much deeper than just the kidnapping of children.
To read my full review, visit my blog here: https://stephsstoryspace.wordpress.co...
To read my full review, visit my blog here: https://stephsstoryspace.wordpress.co...
June 1, 2023
Calwyn and her merry band of misfits are back in the sequel to Kate Constable's The Singer of All Songs. After encountering a stranger with a tale about kidnapped chanter children, the crew finds themselves traveling through the desert kingdom of Merithuros on a rescue mission while Darrow, their potentially only hope for surviving the desert, has journeyed out alone, still wallowing in his grief over Samis. Without him, Calwyn and her friends find themselves at the Palace of Cobwebs where the Merithurian Court holds its many secrets. What will Calwyn be willing to risk in order to uncover them?
September 1, 2017
A solid sequel that's definitely worthy of the first installment. In fact, I maybe even liked it slightly better than The Singer of All Songs.
Now I'm itching to read the third one, but-- alas, it's not at my local library. Curses! This shall be an exercise in patience while I wait for the interlibrary loan to come through.
Okay but it needs to be said that the cover is terrible. The heck is with that hand. This is a sterling example of why one must not judge a book by its cover. Because sometimes cover artists just... fail. Epically.
Now I'm itching to read the third one, but-- alas, it's not at my local library. Curses! This shall be an exercise in patience while I wait for the interlibrary loan to come through.
Okay but it needs to be said that the cover is terrible. The heck is with that hand. This is a sterling example of why one must not judge a book by its cover. Because sometimes cover artists just... fail. Epically.
August 19, 2017
Not as good as the first volume of the series - too much action is glossed over and too much time is spent inside certain characters' heads. Halasaa is the most interesting character, but he was out of commission for far too long, and Calwyn had no personality whatsoever in this volume. Disappointing.
May 2, 2019
Calwyn is setting up a school of chantment when she gets called away by children getting kidnapped. She intervenes.
I wasn't fond of will-they-or-won't-they romance with Darrow - honestly, Darrow seems like a jerk, and I didn't approve. The plot also seemed a little too convenient.
Plus points: the writing is light and pretty.
I wasn't fond of will-they-or-won't-they romance with Darrow - honestly, Darrow seems like a jerk, and I didn't approve. The plot also seemed a little too convenient.
Plus points: the writing is light and pretty.
March 30, 2023
I recently read all three books in the Chanters of Tremaris series and found them eminently readable. Perhaps they are not as sophisticated as other books of their ilk and I note some criticism of the world building but I was drawn into the world of Tremaris and enjoyed the company of the main protagonists and their friends as they tried to save their world from being torn apart.
January 15, 2024
No notes this is such a great sequel, and starts strong and keeps that momentum the whole way through. There's concepts in this one that are so interesting, like the Palace of Cobwebs that I think about like, all the time.
Delightful sequel and definitely still holds up to my previous experience of reading, if not more now I'm old enough to understand the more subtle themes.
Delightful sequel and definitely still holds up to my previous experience of reading, if not more now I'm old enough to understand the more subtle themes.
November 5, 2017
i love this trilogy
June 28, 2018
DONT FINISH IT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE TENTH POWER. Hate the cliff hanging unhappy ending. I couldnt remember why I disliked this one out of the three so much and now I remembered why. Its the ending.
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