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Constellations: Book 2 of the Dreamfarers' Tales
Three years will pass before Dianthus can return from his journey across the Dreamworld. What happened in Thalia's Forest during his absence?
After parting with Dianthus in the Dreamworld, Birch and Cassiopea returned home to inform Sir Chrysantos and Lady Thalia of their son's decision to find Wisp's homeworld, and the imminent awakening of their long-lost daughter, Leirion. Now, Cassiopea, birch, Leirion, and chrysantos must navigate through their grief, guilt, and misgivings—each in their own way—but little do they know that coming to terms with their losses would be the least of their troubles: the tree that kept Leirion alive for nearly five decades won’t stop sapping at the Forest's life force.
In an attempt to slow it down until he and Thalia can safely get rid of it, Chrysantos binds the tree to himself, but this, combined with the dragonfire curse taking its toll on him, puts both unicorns in grave danger.
This time, it'll be up to the Forest to help its ancient protectors and become part of the legend.
After parting with Dianthus in the Dreamworld, Birch and Cassiopea returned home to inform Sir Chrysantos and Lady Thalia of their son's decision to find Wisp's homeworld, and the imminent awakening of their long-lost daughter, Leirion. Now, Cassiopea, birch, Leirion, and chrysantos must navigate through their grief, guilt, and misgivings—each in their own way—but little do they know that coming to terms with their losses would be the least of their troubles: the tree that kept Leirion alive for nearly five decades won’t stop sapping at the Forest's life force.
In an attempt to slow it down until he and Thalia can safely get rid of it, Chrysantos binds the tree to himself, but this, combined with the dragonfire curse taking its toll on him, puts both unicorns in grave danger.
This time, it'll be up to the Forest to help its ancient protectors and become part of the legend.
615 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2024
3 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Ricciardi
3 books8 followersAuthor of the epic creature fantasy series The Dreamfarers' Tales.
Book 1: The Enchanted Path (online)
Book 2: Constellations (online)
Book 3: Dianthus' Odyssey (in progress)
Book 4: (you don't get to know book 4's title yet)
Book 1: The Enchanted Path (online)
Book 2: Constellations (online)
Book 3: Dianthus' Odyssey (in progress)
Book 4: (you don't get to know book 4's title yet)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 23, 2024
The second installment of The Dreamfarers’ Tales takes everything there was to love about the first novel—a rich, deeply-realized world, characters who immediately latch onto your heart, and a plot full of hidden histories and looming dangers—and raises it all to the next level. Above the next level, even; Constellations stands out as one of the most meaningful books I’ve read in several years. As the story matures and takes an introspective turn, I fell even more deeply in love with the characters, related to many of their struggles, cheered at their victories and cried along with them throughout their various journeys, both mental and physical.
(MILD SPOILERS AHEAD)
The Enchanted Path ends with Dianthus’ return from the Dreamworld, although we’re left with the mystery of what he’s been up to for the past three years—along with the question of how the Forest has survived without him, and how his friends and family have managed in his absence. Constellations allows Dianthus’ odyssey to remain a mystery for another day, instead focusing on Birch, Cassiopea, Chrysantos, and the newly returned Leirion.
One of the largest focuses of this novel is grief: Cassiopea and Birch must grieve the friend they left behind, and Leirion must grieve her life in the past that was over before she could realize it. All of them face their difficulties in different ways, which leads to some truly incredible slow-burn character growth: Leirion works to find her sunshine again, Cassiopea tries to learn how to live without Dianthus at her side; and Birch struggles to relieve himself of the resentment he’s felt towards the unicorns for as long as he can remember. Birch in particular is a character whose hard exterior is worn as armor; as a reader, being able to see through that armor into the wounded soul beneath, I grew to love Birch as much as I’ve ever loved any character.
The other big theme in Constellations is guilt, which partners elegantly with grief. Cassiopea and Birch both feel awful for leaving Dianthus behind (though they handle the feeling in vastly different ways); Leirion feels bad for the agony she put her parents through and for being the reason Dianthus is gone; and Chrysantos feels terrible for not being able to do more, even as he’s pushed to his physical limits trying to keep his family and the Forest safe. Chrysantos is the character I didn’t realize I’d come to care so strongly about; he loves fiercely and has the heart of a lion—what more could you ask for?
The organic journeys through grief and guilt aren’t the only things driving this plot: with Leirion once again returned to her body, the energy-sucking tree that kept her alive for so many years begins to place a strain on Chrysantos’ life force, placing the rest of the Forest at risk, too. When disaster strikes, rendering the unicorns unable to save the day, it’s once again up to the young heroes to rescue their home. The way this quest unfolds isn’t quite what you’d expect, and by the end you won’t know whether to rejoice or mourn.
But I digress.
Alongside the plot and characters, Jaime Ricciardi’s writing style stands out as one of the book’s many remarkable aspects. Eloquent and highly descriptive at times, and playful and simpler at others, Jaime is skilled in fitting a distinctive tone to each situation and character. You’ll find yourself wonderfully lost amongst the detailed prose and the rich natural world it speaks into existence.
In short, I cannot recommend this series highly enough for anyone who loves fantasy (creature fantasy in particular), character-driven plots, and satisfying slow-burn character development. I promise that anyone who gives The Dreamfarers’ Tales series a try won’t be disappointed. These are books to savor and reread over and over again, as I have and as I'll continue to do!
(MILD SPOILERS AHEAD)
The Enchanted Path ends with Dianthus’ return from the Dreamworld, although we’re left with the mystery of what he’s been up to for the past three years—along with the question of how the Forest has survived without him, and how his friends and family have managed in his absence. Constellations allows Dianthus’ odyssey to remain a mystery for another day, instead focusing on Birch, Cassiopea, Chrysantos, and the newly returned Leirion.
One of the largest focuses of this novel is grief: Cassiopea and Birch must grieve the friend they left behind, and Leirion must grieve her life in the past that was over before she could realize it. All of them face their difficulties in different ways, which leads to some truly incredible slow-burn character growth: Leirion works to find her sunshine again, Cassiopea tries to learn how to live without Dianthus at her side; and Birch struggles to relieve himself of the resentment he’s felt towards the unicorns for as long as he can remember. Birch in particular is a character whose hard exterior is worn as armor; as a reader, being able to see through that armor into the wounded soul beneath, I grew to love Birch as much as I’ve ever loved any character.
The other big theme in Constellations is guilt, which partners elegantly with grief. Cassiopea and Birch both feel awful for leaving Dianthus behind (though they handle the feeling in vastly different ways); Leirion feels bad for the agony she put her parents through and for being the reason Dianthus is gone; and Chrysantos feels terrible for not being able to do more, even as he’s pushed to his physical limits trying to keep his family and the Forest safe. Chrysantos is the character I didn’t realize I’d come to care so strongly about; he loves fiercely and has the heart of a lion—what more could you ask for?
The organic journeys through grief and guilt aren’t the only things driving this plot: with Leirion once again returned to her body, the energy-sucking tree that kept her alive for so many years begins to place a strain on Chrysantos’ life force, placing the rest of the Forest at risk, too. When disaster strikes, rendering the unicorns unable to save the day, it’s once again up to the young heroes to rescue their home. The way this quest unfolds isn’t quite what you’d expect, and by the end you won’t know whether to rejoice or mourn.
But I digress.
Alongside the plot and characters, Jaime Ricciardi’s writing style stands out as one of the book’s many remarkable aspects. Eloquent and highly descriptive at times, and playful and simpler at others, Jaime is skilled in fitting a distinctive tone to each situation and character. You’ll find yourself wonderfully lost amongst the detailed prose and the rich natural world it speaks into existence.
In short, I cannot recommend this series highly enough for anyone who loves fantasy (creature fantasy in particular), character-driven plots, and satisfying slow-burn character development. I promise that anyone who gives The Dreamfarers’ Tales series a try won’t be disappointed. These are books to savor and reread over and over again, as I have and as I'll continue to do!
Displaying 1 of 1 review