I Need This Book To Pick a Journey
*****Spoilers*****
I wasn't ready for where this book began to detour and because of it, I'm not certain what to make of it. Sara joins the Corcoran Guard to get to the man who knew her father because she's looking for her father's journals, perhaps for an explanation about why he was labeled a deserter. This book picks up with Sara just come from a battle with the Kade mages, better termed a slaughter really, when she realized that their commanding officer purposely sacrificed hundreds of mercenaries in his company. Sara is understandably affronted by Captain Barthis' decision and tells him so by way of calling him a coward and disloyal followed by spitting in his face. In front of the mercenaries under his command. Not the wisest move, but her emotions came over her and Sara couldn't move on without that outward display. Her punishment for it though was a fight with her fellow mercenaries until another commander said stop. While Sara meets the challenge head on and defeats several of the other mercenaries in combat, particularly because she has anger to burn off, she's flagging and is saved by the Red Lion Guard leader Kansid before she dies. Kansid calls off the matches and heals her enough that she doesn't die before she can be seen by the healers. Sara, prior to knowing Kansid's identity promises him aid whenever he needs at some undisclosed point or way in future.
From there, I was expecting that Sara would track down more information about Hillian, his whereabouts or really anything she can learn about her father first, perhaps the Kade mages second. Instead, what we get is a whole lot of camp life, skirmishes, vengeful leaders giving her grueling duties, and a slow transformation from standoffish solitary warrior girl with pride and honor and a namesake to back her up, to a more open but still surly girl who is quietly building a rebellion around her. By the end of the book, she and friends are a group of 13, who were basically sent to die on a mission to clean up bodies at the Kade battle they escaped, but bonded over their survival once the true purpose of that assignment became known to them. Now, Sara and crew are not only NOT dead, but have solidified for themselves a team ready to have one another's backs over the mercenary captains. Though careful to indicate their rebellion is not against they crown and they're still loyal to the empire, it's just the mercenary leadership Sara and crew have a problem with. In any case, at the end of this book, Sara again gets into a situation where she defies captain Barthis by standing in front of his whipping the sun mage they have in their camp. Sara can't just stand by and do nothing, even if the woman tried to betray Sara and have her killed. Cue eye roll. Hard. And then again.
This version of Sara I understand but not really. Because the sun mage could've easily just asked her people to lead her away and incapacitate or tie Sara up when they came. Instead, she specifically ordered Sara's death. However, that betrayal is just whatever but earns the sun mage more protection from Sara. So much so that she's willing to step in front of a whip for the sun mage. All the while, Sara still loathes Captain Barthis for deserting his mercenary companies when he perhaps could've just brought them through a portal. There are other places in the book where I'm confused by Sara's actions, don't understand what the author is trying to hint at with the conversations and discussions between the characters, and even places where we're left with a vague sense of a plan but without being let in on what exactly the plan is. It's like being along for the journey every step and conversation of the way, but still being left out. Makes no sense to me why these plans are hinted at instead of spelled out some way, even if it's subtly disclosed.
For sure this one was interesting but the slow pace in the middle was a distraction and I couldn't really get behind the new Sara. Partially because I just didn't believe it that she changed so quickly and partly because I don't know what her goal is now. Not to mention, there are parts I was expecting to be amswered that weren't. Some of the questions were, what happened to that dragonfly ball, why the squad leader Karina hated Sara, why is Sara so off putting at times for no reason, what happened with the weapons she forged with her magic and did it create new abilities, and what exactly is a kith?
The story is still a good one and I'm interested in understanding more but we'll see how the next one goes.