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Daughters of Light #2
Solomon's Ring
Twin sisters Jade and Jasmine are finally together after a five-year separation, but there’s no time to enjoy the reunion. As Seers, the sisters are being hunted by demons spilling through the rift, and the city is on high alert against terrorist threats. The Protectors at Beaconsfield have gathered as many Seers as possible, as the countries that haven’t been destroyed by climate change are starting to close their borders.
On top of it all, Jasmine discovers that someone has stolen a ring with the power to control the demons, and the Final Battle between the Daughters of Light and the forces of darkness is approaching more quickly than anyone predicted.
On top of it all, Jasmine discovers that someone has stolen a ring with the power to control the demons, and the Final Battle between the Daughters of Light and the forces of darkness is approaching more quickly than anyone predicted.
- GenresFantasyYoung AdultCanada
352 pages, ebook
Published January 6, 2018
1 person is currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jennifer Payne
11 books25 followersMary Jennifer Payne's writing has been published in journals, anthologies, and magazines both in Canada and abroad, and she is the author of several YA graphic novels. Since You've Been Gone is her first YA novel. She teaches with the Toronto District School Board and lives in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 27, 2018
1) Finding Jade: ★★★
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley, and a physical copy from Dun Durn in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Review to come!
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley, and a physical copy from Dun Durn in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Review to come!
January 16, 2018
Sometimes when you start a series, you must absolutely start from the beginning to comprehend what is going on, however with Solomon’s ring, I had no problem getting into the story on book 2. Mary Jennifer Payne gave me just enough information to piece together the back story.
Reading this through my 40 something eyes is perhaps a little different than if I would have read this 20 years ago. In any case, my grown up self was drawn to a few key points within Solomon’s Ring.
First, we really can’t talk about this book without mentioning the environment and global warming that are ever present throughout the novel. Payne does an excellent job in conveying the grim picture of a world that is warming up – putting a strain on the water supply, energy and food. It’s felt globally and people are seeking refuge in more hospitable places. Climate refuges are a reality.
The other sweet point for me was the dis-information and propaganda angle that fragranced the story. With what is happening right now in the political arena…I thought this could not be timelier. I think it’s wonderful to put that out there and say… look, watch out for this – don’t believe everything you hear or read, question the motives of people in power.
Now, those two points are cleverly wrapped up in a dystopian/urban fantasy complete with demons from an In-Between wold. The urban fantasy side to this book is what my younger self enjoyed reading very much. Jade and Jasmine were enjoyable enough to read, however I would have appreciated more depth to their characters. In all fairness, this is perhaps due to the fact that I started on book two of the series.
Nevertheless, Solomon’s Ring is a great way to introduce bigger world issues to a young reader who is questioning events around them. It’s like hiding spinach in spaghetti sauce. I really applaud Mary Jennifer Payne for choosing a subject like climate change and making it into such an enjoyable read. It will be interesting to see where all the various pieces fall into place with the final book in the Daughters of Light series.
Reading this through my 40 something eyes is perhaps a little different than if I would have read this 20 years ago. In any case, my grown up self was drawn to a few key points within Solomon’s Ring.
First, we really can’t talk about this book without mentioning the environment and global warming that are ever present throughout the novel. Payne does an excellent job in conveying the grim picture of a world that is warming up – putting a strain on the water supply, energy and food. It’s felt globally and people are seeking refuge in more hospitable places. Climate refuges are a reality.
The other sweet point for me was the dis-information and propaganda angle that fragranced the story. With what is happening right now in the political arena…I thought this could not be timelier. I think it’s wonderful to put that out there and say… look, watch out for this – don’t believe everything you hear or read, question the motives of people in power.
Now, those two points are cleverly wrapped up in a dystopian/urban fantasy complete with demons from an In-Between wold. The urban fantasy side to this book is what my younger self enjoyed reading very much. Jade and Jasmine were enjoyable enough to read, however I would have appreciated more depth to their characters. In all fairness, this is perhaps due to the fact that I started on book two of the series.
Nevertheless, Solomon’s Ring is a great way to introduce bigger world issues to a young reader who is questioning events around them. It’s like hiding spinach in spaghetti sauce. I really applaud Mary Jennifer Payne for choosing a subject like climate change and making it into such an enjoyable read. It will be interesting to see where all the various pieces fall into place with the final book in the Daughters of Light series.
January 15, 2018
Solomon's Ring picks up shortly after the events of Finding Jade. We are back in Toronto of 2032, where climate change terrorists continue to dominate world news. Jade has been released from the power of the Ibeji doll and The-Place-in-Between, and has been returned to her family. Jasmine and Jade have been continuing their training at Beaconsfield, but the demons are getting more and more ambitious, assuming the forms of the recently dead.
The continued use of Toronto as the main setting for most of this book is an immediate hook for me. Payne writes what she knows, and I could easily picture the characters moving around the city. When you consider the current state of affairs south of the border, some of the more drastic actions of the very sinister Mayor of Toronto (who strangely reminded me of Harold Saxon alias of the Master in Doctor Who) are only steps away from what is already circulating as bills in various states of the US. The heightened terror and the strategy used by the Mayor to use the twins in support of her actions is disturbing in that it could easily escalate and happen here.
There are a lot of things that happen within this book in a short period of time, beginning with an attack against the twins during the first chapter that leaves one of them in hospital. We soon realize that no one is really who they seem, and that those in power may be the most dangerous people of all. The CCT is not a terrorist organization but rather a system of climate change allies who are working to save the Earth - or so they say. The dual narratives from Jade and Jasmine's perspectives give us a variety of different opinions on what is happening, including the bigger questions of whether Jasmine might actually be The Chosen One and what exactly happened with Jade and the mysterious Seth. A times the story switches rapidly from one view to another, and I found myself having to go back to see if I had missed details between chapters. We do learn about the history of Solomon's Ring, a device created by the Archangel Michael and used to control demons in some form and about how important it is for one of the Seers to return it to its original place, setting up the events for what I presume will be Book Three.
Book One of the series heralded the recent popularity of shows such as Stranger Things, with a similar theme of a missing child in a place "in between", and the trouble of adjusting back to the regular world; Jade certainly seems to have her issues with reintegration. Perhaps my quibble with this book in the series is that the pieces seem to take a while to gel together, and Jasmine and Jade are not given a chance to re-bond together after so long apart. Additionally, Jasmine makes an out-of-character slur against Mr. Khan regarding his gender reassignment; after knowing his secret for so long and being respectful of his past, this seemed out of character and unnecessary.
There's a tonne of information in this book, and the events are moving towards an ultimate confrontation in the final book in the trilogy. It will be interesting to see how the author brings all the pieces together, and to see how the climate change advocacy is integrated into the bigger picture of world events.
The continued use of Toronto as the main setting for most of this book is an immediate hook for me. Payne writes what she knows, and I could easily picture the characters moving around the city. When you consider the current state of affairs south of the border, some of the more drastic actions of the very sinister Mayor of Toronto (who strangely reminded me of Harold Saxon alias of the Master in Doctor Who) are only steps away from what is already circulating as bills in various states of the US. The heightened terror and the strategy used by the Mayor to use the twins in support of her actions is disturbing in that it could easily escalate and happen here.
There are a lot of things that happen within this book in a short period of time, beginning with an attack against the twins during the first chapter that leaves one of them in hospital. We soon realize that no one is really who they seem, and that those in power may be the most dangerous people of all. The CCT is not a terrorist organization but rather a system of climate change allies who are working to save the Earth - or so they say. The dual narratives from Jade and Jasmine's perspectives give us a variety of different opinions on what is happening, including the bigger questions of whether Jasmine might actually be The Chosen One and what exactly happened with Jade and the mysterious Seth. A times the story switches rapidly from one view to another, and I found myself having to go back to see if I had missed details between chapters. We do learn about the history of Solomon's Ring, a device created by the Archangel Michael and used to control demons in some form and about how important it is for one of the Seers to return it to its original place, setting up the events for what I presume will be Book Three.
Book One of the series heralded the recent popularity of shows such as Stranger Things, with a similar theme of a missing child in a place "in between", and the trouble of adjusting back to the regular world; Jade certainly seems to have her issues with reintegration. Perhaps my quibble with this book in the series is that the pieces seem to take a while to gel together, and Jasmine and Jade are not given a chance to re-bond together after so long apart. Additionally, Jasmine makes an out-of-character slur against Mr. Khan regarding his gender reassignment; after knowing his secret for so long and being respectful of his past, this seemed out of character and unnecessary.
There's a tonne of information in this book, and the events are moving towards an ultimate confrontation in the final book in the trilogy. It will be interesting to see how the author brings all the pieces together, and to see how the climate change advocacy is integrated into the bigger picture of world events.
November 7, 2019
This book two in the Daughters of Light series really has me thinking about the Daughter's of the Moon series from ages ago. I loved the pacing and the continuing story. This was another fast paced story with a few more pages than the first one. The author gave the reader enough information that if you ended up picking this one up without read book one I think you would be fine. But you still might miss some of the awesomeness that was in book one. I will say that parts of this story were slower than I would have liked but overall it was a great book two!
December 6, 2017
Full review to come.
In short, this book definitely held my attention, and it was pretty cool! Hardcore fantasy/YA readers will definitely enjoy this one.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and the publisher. This does not change my opinion.
In short, this book definitely held my attention, and it was pretty cool! Hardcore fantasy/YA readers will definitely enjoy this one.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and the publisher. This does not change my opinion.
December 31, 2017
I didn't read Finding Jade, the first book in the Daughters of Light series by the Toronto author, and although I felt as though I missed a fair bit, it didn't leave me feeling lost. I had enough to pick up the story and enjoy it.
December 10, 2017
*thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
1.5 stars.
After having just finished reading the first book in this series, I was excited to read this one as I absolutely loved the first, (I gave it 4.5 stars!) Unfortunately, this one wasn't anywhere near as good. While it was good to hear more about the characters, I found this to be rather boring in parts. Compared to the first book, where there was a lot going on, nothing really seems to happen in this one. The rest of it was just ok which is where the half star rating comes in. I recommend reading the first and probably leaving it at that.
1.5 stars.
After having just finished reading the first book in this series, I was excited to read this one as I absolutely loved the first, (I gave it 4.5 stars!) Unfortunately, this one wasn't anywhere near as good. While it was good to hear more about the characters, I found this to be rather boring in parts. Compared to the first book, where there was a lot going on, nothing really seems to happen in this one. The rest of it was just ok which is where the half star rating comes in. I recommend reading the first and probably leaving it at that.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews