While I liked the first book of this series more, I still enjoyed this one and could appreciate and understand the direction that it took. For me, with the first book, the most intriguing part of it was the moral issues brought up with the idea of knowing that things in the past are wrong, and yet not necessarily doing anything to change them and then becoming complicit in them. There is still some hints of that in this book, but understandably less so, since with this book the focus is more on Jim and Eva incorporating themselves in with the Comanche village and finding their places there. As a result, the conflict is much more focused on their relationship and how they can stay true to themselves and each other with the greater pressure of outside influences.
What I liked most about this book was that while the first book has been compared to Outlander (and somewhat understandably so, given the time-traveling and romance), this book actually takes things a step farther than Outlander with exploring culture clashes. In Outlander, Claire’s difficulties to adjusting to the time period mostly center on her struggles with gender roles and expectations. In The Mender and The Captive, Eva must also deal with this, but on top of that, must come to terms with a society that is structured far differently from her own. Whereas for Claire, the society and culture she stepped into would eventually evolve into what she was accustomed to in her own time, for Eva, being amongst the Comanche is a significant culture shock. She has to adjust not only to the idea of being married and subservient to her husband, but also to the idea of wife-sharing amongst her husband’s brothers. For me, this whole idea was fascinating to think about, because, coming from a background more similar to Eva’s, I balked at the idea of a woman being shared around from brother to brother, especially if she did not want to do such a thing. But for women and men growing up in such a society, it would obviously be completely normal, especially if so much of your society is built upon the sharing and generosity within the community for its continued survival. This exploration of the differences in culture and how things are normalized depending on how you are raised was so interesting to consider.
Because of all of this conflict around culture, it was interesting to see how Jim and Eva’s relationship developed over the course of the book, and I enjoyed seeing how they both had to adapt, grow and compromise in their adjustments with each other and within the community. While at times frustrating to see them talking past each other, it was satisfying to see them come to a good place by the end of the book.
Once again with this book, I did appreciate Marchman’s treatment of the Comanche and felt like she did her best to research their history and stay true to it and respectful in her portrayal. She clearly spent a great deal of time making sure to be as accurate as she could be, and seeking out resources and feedback from experts.
Overall, I look forward to seeing how everything concludes in the third book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.