After finishing the ARC of book 2 (Heart of Ice and Flame) in this series I just had to go back to read book 1. You can actually read these two books in either order; they both refer to each other but I’m really not sure which order to suggest. Book 2 is a prequel to book 1 however the prologue and epilogue of book 2 refer directly to book 1, and the end of book 1 refers directly to the events of book 2, which might be confusing if you haven’t read book 1. See! Choose your own poison 😂
So this story introduces us to Aurora, who is mentioned only briefly in book 2, a human who falls through a tear in the veil separating our world from the realm of Silverveil. She is rescued by Soren, a sentinel on the lookout for human travelers like Aurora, who takes her to safety before attempting to return her to her home.
Enter Isolde - the main character of book 2 - who is attempting to escape Silverveil into the human world in order to rule over humankind. She’ll stop at nothing to ensure she is the one who gets to leave Silverveil, not Aurora.
The main difference I found between book 1 and book 2 is that book 2, Isolde’s story, is pretty much wholly from her POV in first person, whereas Veil of Light and Shadow is in third person and kind of jumps around a bit between POVs which is a bit confusing at times and took me out of the emotion of the story. In saying that though, I really liked the connection between Aurora and Soren and you can tell the author enjoyed writing about Isolde because the writing and story really ramps up when she enters the plot.
I loved the little bit at the end involving Camryn, Aurora’s human friend from the beginning of the book, and how the epilogue in book 2 ties together both books beautifully (so make sure you go back and read it!). Both storylines have set up what is looking to be an epic book 3 and I can’t wait to find out what happens.
I’ll be following the author keenly for any updates!
3.5 stars (rounded to 4)