I couldn't wait to dive into this book. Being "new" to me, Rose Garcia blew my freaking mind with the first book in this series, so much so, I was literally agog! Her writing style, her ability to pull the wool over my eyes, her characters, her plot and good heavens, THOSE TWISTS sure pulled the rug right out under me! I landed squarely on my rump, the events swirling around my head, best book headache ever! I must impress how I much I enjoyed these books, how Ms Garcia catches me in her snare from the beginning, from the prologue to the end, I I was in for a bumpy ride, loving all the bruises I accumulated along the way. Bizarre? Perhaps. But if you've read it or read it, you'll understand that every bruise is accepted with relish!
The prologue gives invaluable insight into the how and the why of Gabriella, Leaf, Manny and Sonia. Once more, very powerful. Once more blowing me away with the intensity, the dramatic events that make up this prologue. And this intensity continues, every word, every deed, every thought, burrowing deeper within me. The plot is so much more complicated than meets the eye, it's beauty is in the simplicity of the authors telling, the ease of reading, taking me by surprise time and again. As the story unfolded, the villains stand out, although, WHO the bigger evil is is wrapped up in mire, perfectly bogging me down, as I wade through each event, so carefully placed, so well executed, keeping me on a string and pulling the reigns subtly. And then she adds in Dragons and I'm lost, I'm dunked into another layer of awesome.
The die is cast and set for Avalynn and Matteo with the revelations from the previous book, but, even though they grudgingly accept their "new" reality, the guilt Avalynn feels is almost suffocating, the betrayal Matteo feels IS suffocating! And now he's stuck in a place where everyone has a hidden agenda, playing him, lying to him and he has to decipher truth from fact, he has a resolve to help the Sublands, but who to trust is dubious to say the least! As he said, "In this palace, where betrayal comes as naturally as breathing" But Matteo is smart, not easily duped by sweet talk and idle promises. Swayed yes, but not blinded. He embarks on a dangerous course of action, a game to outplay the game, a plot within a plot.... Good lordie, the king and queen are as powerhungry as they come! They will strive to be a force by whatever means, caring nothing of others, even their children, who are all pawns to them. Manipulating, coercing, twisting, deviously, ANYTHING goes! No wonder Matteo is so at odds, unsure, apprehensive. I caught myself yelling "NO" when the sorry excuse for a mother and Raelor did THAT to him. With each subsequent thought and deed, my "no" became louder and stronger....And Avalynn is in no better a situation, who to trust, who not to....A magic is at work, not only for Avalynn, who's slowly finding the depth of her magic but Matteo, who's wrapped in a magic so strong, he's lost. It broke my heart seeing his inner struggles, his inner convictions, his inner strife. From the Sublands to the palace, to the Wild North, Matteo and Avalynn come together, not by choice but by deed, to the uncertainty of a quest, to seek the dragons. But heck, THAT didn't go as planned! What an incredible, imaginative, vivid story! That "no" I mentioned earlier? Well, shizer! I was screaming it! What I I was so thrilled about, Matteo's childhood friends joined them, the loyalty and friendship Lirien and Gareth engulfes me like a warm balm. But their fate remains shrouded...as does Avalynn'.
So , in conclusion, from the prologue, continuing throughout, this immensely talented author, shows her power and prowess with words, to catch me like a spider in her web, to spin her silk around me in a cocoon, trapping me soundly. But, this is a web I DON'T want to escape, this is a web I've laid down in, willingly, while she draws out every emotion in me! As in book 1, my eyes grew larger and larger, my stomach churled, my teeth ached from the tension and surprisingly events in the last few chapters, I was floored, I was in shock, I was hanging on to each word like a mountaineer clinging to a precipice, I was was so under Ms Garcia's spell. Another read of sheer exhilaration and pleasure, another read where I'm literally salivating for the next book!