I am so glad I have been given the chance to read and review these books, because I love them so much. I had missed Lily after finishing the first book - and I am so glad to be reading about her and her she wonderful infectious energy! I honestly think that the main character, Lily, is a force of nature, but it makes sense that someone who would survive and thrive as a medical student would be this driven and intuitive.
There are so many threads which are now being woven into the narrative, and you can almost see where the might come together in the future books (and I am so excited for book 3!). I love following Lily the best, I just find her character so magnetic and she is so dynamic. It is also so wonderful that she is so self aware, just as she can see that she is changing her new world for the better, she can also sense that living in that world is changing her.
The Clearing takes up where First Lessons left off, and we now find Lily back in Earton and follow her as she tries to make the best of things for the castle, the village and her step daughter. The plot is so well paced, and there are enough bumps in the road to keep things interesting. I really love the relationship which develops between Lily and her step daughter Miranda. You can see that Lily genuinely cares for Miranda and it's so lovely to read.
As well as trying to survive in an unfamilar land (and body!) there is also the added tensions of the threat of Lily's husband returning as well as the fact that she has interacted with both her father and the king via letter and both of them wish to know more about this new, changed Lily. This is done really well, and it steadily builds up over the course of the book. Though I must confess the more I learn about Lily's husband Jess, the less I like him. I cannot wait until he is face to face with his 'new' wife!
I really didn't want to put The Clearing down when I started reading, the narrative, the characters and the tension all pull the reader along so quickly. The ending of The Clearing was amazing, I won't say more than that for fear of spoilers, but I was really sad to realise that I was nearing the end of the book and I really need to get my hands on the next books!