“Taking in the landscape around me, I’m mesmerized by the colors in the sky. The blues, purples, pinks, and reds look like watercolors, swirling amongst traces of clouds as the sun begins to set. The desert, though the plan life is primarily muted in color and stunted in growth, is still vibrant against the red, sandy dirt. Tall cylinder saguaro cacti reach into the night sky like long fingers escaping the earth, reaching helplessly for the stars.”
I had to start off my review of this book with the vivid description of the Arizona dessert that this author brings to life in this book. Most of the book is written in such a colorful and vivid way that you feel as if you are immersing yourself into the world with every word you read. I found that to be a great strength for me in this novel, and a lot of what kept me reading when I was feeling a bit bored. Which unfortunately I did find myself lingering towards that notion of boredom a few times throughout the book, and the only reason for my four-star rating. Otherwise I overall enjoyed the book and characterizations that play around between the pages of Truth.
Truth is the second book in the Alex Conner Chronicles. It is best to read book one, Trust, before you read this or you may find yourself quite confused at portions of the book.
We pick up on Alex’s story, and the cliffhanger in book one, finding her unable to deny her obligations to her heritage as an Earthern Protector. She has been focused on her training with her grandmother’s friend, The Mistress of Weaponry and Potions, Dana. They are working hard to hone her skills to keep her protected in the search for her long thought dead father. Along the way Alex struggles with knowing her friends are in grave danger and she can’t do anything to protect them other than to stay away. She also grapples with her love for two men, and the ability to figure out where her heart truly belongs. Overall, she faces a lot of new adventures and struggles in this installment of her journey. We get the same beautiful journal writings to see things through Alex’s eyes herself not just as reading it in the book sense. I enjoyed that part of the way the author brings Alex to life once more in this book.
I will warn this book does end on another cliffhanger and you will want to run and grab the next installment to figure out what is to come next for Alex in her journey through this complicated life she is still getting used to herself. I also wanted to include the opening quotation from the book, because I felt it really hits on a lot of things that are brought up for Alex in this book.
“Men plan, God laughs for choices we must bear,
For time does a man make, decisions wear and tear.
Stand tall and straight and face the wind,
You’re built with more than blood and sin,
You’re built with more than bone and skin,
Your lessons learned are built within,
And I will stand with you and face the wind,
Two men made by time and more.
~Son, S.A. Chamovitz, 2015