The Melted Sea

Tree of Ages #2

by Sara C. Roethle

War is coming. With the reappearance of the Tuatha De, the countryside is thrown into chaos. Entire villages have been obliterated. Magic users are suffering persecution along with the Faie, leaving droves of refugees to wait outside the gates of the great cities, hoping for the acceptance that will never come. After a brief reunion with her companions, Finn is stolen away during the night by an unseen foe. Lost and alone, she must put her trust in a stranger if she hopes to reach Migris alive. Yet, nothing is as it seems, and those she trusts most, may very well be the ones to betray her.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Young Adult, Fae, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2016

About the author

Sara C. Roethle is a Fantasy author and part-time unicorn. She enjoys writing character driven stories in various fantasy realms with elements of Celtic and Norse myth, humor, and metaphysical ponderings.

Her series include:

Tree of Ages
The Thief's Apprentice
The Moonstone Chronicles
Xoe Meyers
Bitter Ashes

Reviews

[Aislin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annoying immature writing style, compelling storyline

I’ve been dragging myself through by sheer persistence.

It is difficult to put my finger on exactly why I find her style so irritating. I guess it just feels like the author is drawing out the journey to pad the length of the book without adding any meaningful story elements. I generally enjoy world building and character development but in this tale I’m really struggling to connect with the characters. Her descriptions of places and things is generally adequate. It’s really just character development and dialogue, particularly their inner dialogues that I have a problem with. A shame considering the story itself is quite entertaining. With better writing this could have been the next Harry Potter. As it is, I can’t make it to the end of this book.

[Sylvia Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I was able to read The Melted Sea right on the heels of Tree of Ages. This book picks up right where the last one left off, and I was so ready for it. Finn’s ongoing struggle to discover the truth of her past makes for compelling, page-turning drama. And Iseult and Kai are both fascinating heroes, cut from different cloths . . . Iseult being the tortured former-assassin type, while Kai is the charming rogue.

Oh, and now Finn has a baby dragon . . . ? This is going to get interesting . . .

If I didn’t love this book QUITE as much as Tree of Ages, don’t take that to mean it isn’t a good read. It’s just hard to follow up Tree of Ages, you know? And everything is still in the growing and developing mode right now. I can see all the different complex threads starting to weave together, and I think the end result is going to be something truly spectacular!

Now on to book 3 . . .

[Lauren Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in an epic fantasy series. I read them all back to back after falling in love with book 1 (Tree of Ages.) I think this might be my favorite of the series, (though #5 is not out yet as of right now), as it throws the characters into some interesting dilemmas. Finn, Iseult and Kai are wonderful characters: Finn is a seemingly innocent girl struggling to discover her past; Iseult is her assassin-turned-noble-warrior guardian, and Kai is...delightful. (A "puckish rogue with a heart of gold," if you will.)

My favorite character, though, is Bedelia. She's a highly-skilled warrior with some deep emotional conflict - my favorite. The plot is compelling, but for me, the characters make this series phenomenal.

I recommend this book (and the series) for anyone who loves epic fantasy adventure. :) It's fairly mild on violence and romance, so I think it has a broad appeal.

[Nicole Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventurous

I gave this four stars because I have enjoyed the characters and the adventure. However, I have read book 1 and book 2, and though they are fun, I'm wishing the story to be over. There are so many new twists and added people it's almost hard to keep track of them. Finn is amazing and finds new friends where ever she goes. However, it seems that each person that enters her life has their own agenda. And now, she has a baby dragon. Not much in the story yet, but I'm sure it will come to surface in book 3.

[Donny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting a lot but book 2 was even better, Finn's band of friends grows larger, as does the magic and the quite unusual creatures, oh and a baby dragon! Still unsure as to why Finn was a tree..... next book :)

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want good things for Finn.

The pacing in this one was a tad unbalanced for me, but the reveals and new mysteries gave plenty to enjoy, and as ever, I enjoyed the character dynamics. Can’t wait to see where this series goes next!

[Bug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't been into high fantasy for awhile. I love it, but I've been choosing more realistic books. Or books about magic. I frickin love magic.
That being said, this book is solid gold. The series is great, the characters are interesting, it's fantasy but fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'll move onto the next when it comes out.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this a lot better than the first book in regard to plot progression, but I thought that Finn regressed as a character. In the first book she seemed strong and determined despite her lack of knowledge about herself, in this one she's timid acting and crying all the time. She's always stepping to the side to let others perform tasks while referring to herself as useless. On the few occasions that she does fight back she has no idea how she's done it and is horrified by the manner in which it's done. Followed by more tears. I think I'd rather read about a selfish woman corrupted by her own power than one who lets herself drown in self pity and constantly needs to be rescued. Then there's a love triangle of sorts. I don't like it because I don't care for the one I'm certain she's going to end up with, although I'm not sure it's going to turn into anything for either of them.

[Jane Shand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follows on nicely from the first book. Lots of excitement and good pacing. We learn a little more about our characters, although there are’s till plenty of mysteries to keep us hooked for the rest of the series. We are also introduced to some new characters, good and not so good! There are many plot lines that interweave, and many characters with hidden agendas. All I hope is that they are all sewn up in the end! For the moment they keep me hooked to the series and it won’t be long before I have to pick up book 3.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't find it as engaging as the first book, extremely slow paced, too much still left unanswered.
Don't think I will be continuing this series.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series so far, and The Melted Tree was another step in the plot. I like Finn's character although I'm becoming quite impatient to find out exactly who/what she is.
This step in the series does some character development and world-building, but there are some new characters introduced whom I would like to know more about.
The story and its Celtic feel are very Tolkien-esque and I am a huge high fantasy fan, so I am loving the story. I am very sympathetic towards Finn in her journey of self-discovery, and each change or addition to her powers leads me a little further down that path with her.

Oh, and there's a dragon, albeit a small one. Yes!

The Melted Tree is not a stand-alone, but I would definitely recommend this series to lovers of high fantasy.

[James Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jury's still out

Much of what I have read so far in the first 2 books has been done well. I like some of the Tolkein-ish character development and Celtic lore. I don't care for the several references to homosexuality. It is overly political and unnecessary.

[Eleanor Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord so many twists and turns

Is anyone whom they seem? So much deceit. So much conniving. Trust no one, only yourself. Such a thought-provoking tale.
And another great cliffhanger!!! Hastily on to book 3 "The Blood Forest"

[A.M. Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finn's journey continues

I bought this book months ago, forgetting about it. It's been awhile since I've read a book straight through, but I couldn't put this down. This series is amazing.

[Sheila Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Melted Sea

Loved the book! Yes I’d recommend the book to my friends! Can’t wait to start the next book!! The series seem to be a very good choice! One of the top serious I’ve read in a while.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is amazing it grabs you and doesn't let go , it keeps you up late at night saying to yourself just one more chapter because you just can't bring yourself to stop reading....this series has become one of my all-time favorites....Sara C Roethle has herself a winner......😁😁😁😁

[Edwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

net als het vorige deel vol met vertaal fouten.

[ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like a rehash of the first book. The group starts out together, Finn is kidnapped (twice?), they have their own separate adventures, reunite at the end and advance the plot.

A couple of beefs I have with the series so far:
- All the characters met each other as a matter of coincidence. Aed found Finn by chance, they travelled to a city and met Iseult, Anna, and Kai by chance. They met Ealasaid and Oengus by chance, too. Now they're all major players. What if they hadn't happened to meet? What would the story be like? I don't know why this bothers me but it does.

- Finn as a heroine is weak. She's the definition of a snowflake. Self-righteously pious and would never do anything wrong. Cries when she hears how vengeful she was in the past.

- Iseult is pretty hot (?) but also pretty useless. Finn has been snatched twice out from under his nose. He gets sidetracked when trying to retrieve her. He's terrible at tracking (needs Kai, Maarav, and Aed to help him) and is easily tracked himself (Bedelia, Oengus, Kai).

- Keiren isn't all that interesting yet. What's her motivation, exactly? Find the shroud to get more power? Maarav's motivations are also really shrouded so far. He knows Bedelia, so does that mean he has ties to Keiren? Anyway, I definitely see a triangle forming with him, Ealasaid, and Anders. Anders is weak btw. But their triangle is a carbon copy of Finn's except Ealasaid has more balls. I like her lightning power (she's not afraid to use it) and her quest for vengeance. Power and revenge - these things make a girl interesting.

- Baby dragon? Are we in GOT?

Why am I still reading? Because every once in a while, the series drops some gems. Finn had a kid? And she stole the souls of a whole race? That's pretty badass, and you don't come across either of those types of things in YA fantasy very often.

Note to Bedelia - cut the shit out of that toxic relationship. Find some quality female friends like Ealasaid and Anna, and Finn too I guess.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming off a fairly decent read in book one, this book was a terrible disappointment. It didn't crash and burn, but it didn't soar much above ground level either.

The plot was formulaic. And it went nowhere fast (as in, it ended exactly where it began [with the exception of Aed] ).
The dialog was wooden.
The characters...

...when Finn is portrayed as naive, she is endearing. But when our author tries to flesh her out with a little anger and fortitude it never lasts long enough to be consistent or create a feeling of genuine character growth.

...when Bedelia is portrayed as naive, she appears unbelievable as a character, it is so out of sync with her character development to this date.

...when Ealasaid is introduced she is portrayed as both assertive AND diminutive. She just flails all over the place emotionally, and ends the book as vaguely defined for the reader as when she was first introduced.

...Aed gets may be three sentences during the entire book, listed as a grumpy old man, who contributes nothing to either the plot or conversation. But he can't be killed off, because in the last sentence of the book he is given purpose for book three. He would have been better served to steal a boat that the BEGINNING of the book, and totally disappear until the very end, rather than be treated as useless baggage (by the author no less, not just the other characters in the story) throughout the entirety of the book.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara C Roethle continues to weave her very intricate tale in this 2nd book, where we find Finn being once again the centre of attention with so many people wanting to get a hold of her. She had thought that all she wanted was to go back to being a tree, after having been so for a hundred years, but now that she had been on an adventure, had escaped from the enchanted forest,visited one of the grand cities and braved mighty storms on a ship in the middle of the ocean she just wanted to live. However her life was beset by danger and she had no idea who she could trust even from those amongst whom she travelled. The tuatha have once again come into the world and people were scared that another fae war was on its way hence a new group of mercenaries calling themselves the An Fiach, meaning the hunt, were putting people to the question and burning out whole villages trying to oust those who wielded magic. People feared for their lives and many were fleeing as refugees and Finn's friends got caught up with these whilst they travelled to look for the Archtree which they believed could answer all their questions and to find the lost shroud of the fae queen but every one of the group had secrets they were not telling the rest of the group and no one trusted any one else. However Finn and Iseult will watch each other's back no matter what. The adventure ends on quite a surprising twist to the tale so I am eager to read book 3 now!

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun book to read.

Finn definitely has a penchant for getting kidnapped, a trend which starts up right at the last book's cliffhanger and is essentially the theme for most of the story. While I did get a bit tired of that element, the story manages to stay interesting and progresses. Aed and Iseult continue their loyal pursuits and rescues of our poor former tree turned woman Finn, and all the while she just wants to understand who and what she is. I really do feel for Finn, especially as she takes on more human qualities and understanding, such as friendship and loyalty and fierce determination. She's a protagonist I can root for, especially because she doesnt just stay helpless.

We see a new side to Kai and Anna, and learn some interesting lore regarding Finn's past. A few other new players take more active roles, including Iseult's mysterious brother, a young magic weilder named Ealasaid, and the sinister Kieran, who we know is Aed's lost daughter. Also joining is a female soldier named Bedelia, a pawn of Kieran's but proves to be an interesting character nonetheless. I found the description of her character conflicting. She's supposed to be this tough and dangerous character, yet she seems incredibly vulnerable, emotional , and frightened most of the time. I want to like her but it's annoyed that I only really see the latter side of her, rather than the supposed warrior.

In pursuit still from the last book is Oengus, who I just hope buggers off.

I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the development of relationships. It's clear from the fierce loyalty of Iseult and Kai's protective nature that both are developing feelings for Kai, but it hasnt grown into a full blown love triangle, which I really like. If there is to be a romance, I'd rather it be a slow burn, and not at the expense of the plot. We're given time to get to know the characters fully and see potential or growth this way.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, which I wont reveal really looking forward to see what happens next to the group.

[donald glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible grammar

This book has a decent storyline and characters but the grammar at times made it so hard to get through. Improper use of then and than but I can ignore that usually. The part that is driving me crazy is all the commas! It's throwing the whole flow off of the story for me. It just reminds me of when my son first learned about commas and decided they were more of a decoration choice then serving a purpose. Anyways I've never left a book review and probably read 5 to 10 books a month but I've been tempted to do so quite often recently because I've noticed with the fantasy genre or fantasy romance I notice a lot more grammatical errors. I'm having a hard time using correct grammar typing on my kindle so I can relate, but commas are important for setting tone and pauses and for the flow for me and it has driven me nuts! 4 stars for the plot, 2 for grammar. 😁😅

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's almost too much going on. At this point I can say that I don't like Iseult, which unfortunately Finn does. His brother is up to no good and why did they add the new girl? The twins are a mystery. Neither of them serve a purpose yet, but they still have sections that are from their perspectives. I like Kai and feel bad for him. At this point he's made growth as a character and I like him. I feel bad for Aed. This book was not nice to him. I'm glad that it ends with us knowing more about Finn and why she was a tree, even though there's definitely more to that story. I don't like that their journey has now led them in a complete circle, but I'll continue to read the next book and hopefully put together more pieces and feel like the story is actually progressing. If not, then I'll stop.

[Kelsey Bedolli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent follow-up to Tree of Ages, we meet some new and excellent characters as the adventure continues. Characters we already know continue to develop, we start to get a real feel for the overall direction the series will move in, and the world-building becomes comfortably immersive. Kai becomes one of my favorite characters (I'm always a sucker for an impish flirt of a best friend kind of character), Maraav and Badelia are fabulously unknown quantities, I wish Aed was my grandpa, Finn is doing the best she can, and Ealasaid is delightful.

The mythological roots are still a little over my head and I have to look stuff up every now and then. There is a flair of LOTR, but I honestly think that is due far more to the genre itself because there are no similarities between characters or worlds, just overall feel..

[Jennifer Pezzella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome second installment

Great second chapter in the series. Lots of twists and turns, couldn't put the book down. I didn't rate it a 5 because I thought the side stories of some of the characters was unnecessary but I guess they will come back into play at another point in the series.
I like how the author doesn't leave you totally in the dark by revealing enough information of the past to put the pieces together, this is important because some stories they don't give enough. Anyway don't want to drop any spoilers so read the book!!

[Mark August · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won’t finish this book or the series. The premise of the tree who became a girl is fundamentally gone in this book without the references to someone who should not be aware of the world and being human missing. For some reason, the importance of sexual preference makes its way in full force into this book. There’s no reason for this to make its way into characters that didn’t need this explanation in the first book. This would be fine except for the choppy plot, rapid POV changes within the same chapter, and no character growth. On to other reading.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh this book series. I don't love it, sometimes I don't even like it, but I keep reading it.

Most of the women seem overly-unconfident and pathetically helpless; most of the men seem like it is their duty to save all these helpless women.

The writing isn't great. It isn't horrible, either, but not award winning.

But the heart of the story - something about it keeps me reading. And I did think book #2 ended with a few good twists to keep the core story moving forward.

That said, I wouldn't recommend it to others.

[Holly Beacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only gave this a 4 star as although I do think it is a good story and quite a few twists/turns.. it is not as engaging as other books. I find myself putting it down frequently, I am interested to find out more about Finn but the story is perhaps stretching a little too far and we still don't know much. They have been on an epic adventure which has only spanned a couple of weeks. I definitely want to keep reading the rest of the series to find out what happens. I guess I wish the characters were a bit more developed and more background knowledge of them by this point!

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was annoyed by the characters switching sides or being forced into mental servitude in the first novel. This sequel has even more folks acting as double agents or being controlled by others. There is also not a lot about Aed, a character that I really like. I will definitely continue on to finish the trilogy; hopefully, there will be more time with Aed.
Numerous folks are chasing Finn. She is still trying to figure out who (or what) she is. After spending 100 years as a tree, she unfortunately tends to be quite naive and trusting in a nasty world. There are numerous plot twists.

[Spring · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the series at first I usually love just about anything fae related, but I kept waiting for the characters to grow or for things to develop further and nothing ever really happens. The story just kind of drags in circles. The main character never seems to let go any of her naivety no matter how much she goes through she’s kind of dumb as a door knob which I expected it first to be an opportunity for her to learn lessons And kind of come of age so to speak but it just doesn’t happen and eventually I could no longer continue reading the series.