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Record Keeper #2
The Seed of Cain
Return to the startlingly original dystopian world of The Record Keeper in this stunning sequel. Join Arika Cobane as she continues her fight for freedom.
With General Arika Cobane at the helm, the Rebels take control of the Kongo territory and elect a Council to negotiate peace.
Everything changes when the Council concedes to a last-minute English demand: the war criminal, Arika Cobane, must stand trial for crimes carried out during the revolution.
A fugitive of the law, Arika flees north; determined to prove the Council has been infiltrated. As she uproots lies and uncovers secrets, the line between English and Kongo, friend and foe dissolves--her hatred festers and she fears even her beloved Hosea Khan can't be trusted.
Convinced she is the One to save her people, Arika ventures in search of a dangerous book powered by an ancient religion. If it doesn't kill her, the Heart of Incantations will give her the power to destroy her enemies and install herself as the Head of the Council.
On the brink of ultimate revenge, the whole truth is revealed and Arika is devastated; the fate of her people depends on the one thing she swore she'd never give.
With General Arika Cobane at the helm, the Rebels take control of the Kongo territory and elect a Council to negotiate peace.
Everything changes when the Council concedes to a last-minute English demand: the war criminal, Arika Cobane, must stand trial for crimes carried out during the revolution.
A fugitive of the law, Arika flees north; determined to prove the Council has been infiltrated. As she uproots lies and uncovers secrets, the line between English and Kongo, friend and foe dissolves--her hatred festers and she fears even her beloved Hosea Khan can't be trusted.
Convinced she is the One to save her people, Arika ventures in search of a dangerous book powered by an ancient religion. If it doesn't kill her, the Heart of Incantations will give her the power to destroy her enemies and install herself as the Head of the Council.
On the brink of ultimate revenge, the whole truth is revealed and Arika is devastated; the fate of her people depends on the one thing she swore she'd never give.
409 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2020
18 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 14, 2023
In this sequel to The Record Keeper we follow Arika as she continues her fight for freedom for the Congo. Except now she's under scrutiny for her actions and is awaiting a trial after Jetson's execution. The Rebellion is all Arika can think of despite the insistence of friends who beg her to take a step back.
Her discovery of a dangerous magic further complicates her plans as Arika must go up against Director Kumar for control of it and Hosea Khan seemingly turns against her.
So this is one I had to sit with for awhile and even reread the ending to try and understand better. It's an even-paced story that kept me turning the pages. It's also a somewhat confusing read with many moving parts and twists I couldn't predict. It's also been a couple of years since I read The Record Keeper so I think if the story was still fresh in my mind some things would've clicked more. Magic, alternate timelines, and new technology made it harder to grasp. But there was never a dull moment and it's Arika's connection to those around her that keep you reading.
I did listen to part of this via audio which I think the narration was great and I highly recommend.
Her discovery of a dangerous magic further complicates her plans as Arika must go up against Director Kumar for control of it and Hosea Khan seemingly turns against her.
So this is one I had to sit with for awhile and even reread the ending to try and understand better. It's an even-paced story that kept me turning the pages. It's also a somewhat confusing read with many moving parts and twists I couldn't predict. It's also been a couple of years since I read The Record Keeper so I think if the story was still fresh in my mind some things would've clicked more. Magic, alternate timelines, and new technology made it harder to grasp. But there was never a dull moment and it's Arika's connection to those around her that keep you reading.
I did listen to part of this via audio which I think the narration was great and I highly recommend.
December 16, 2024
The sequel to The Record Keeper, The Seed of Cain continues the story of Arika Cobane and the rebellion in what is left of the United States after World War III.
Blurb:
General Arika Cobane, beloved leader of the worker rebellion, makes a bold - but illegal - move to ensure the people's freedom. When her scheme fails and her co-conspirator hangs for treason, Arika - overworked and overwrought - blacks out.
When she awakens, everything has changed. She's been stripped of her rank and power and the new leader of the Kongo, Kira Swan, is a charismatic traitor bent on consigning the Kongo under the guise of peace.
Desperate, Arika reunites with Hosea Kahn and seeks treatment for her blackouts at the Compound, deep in the deadly Obi Forest. Arike is determined to regain her influence, stop Kira Swan, and continue leading the Kongo to freedom, but time is running out and she's still unwell. Control is slipping from her fingers. When a new source of strength presents itself, an ancient authority reserved for the One destined to save the Kongo, Arika gives up everything, including Hosea Khan, to grasp the power, but - all alone, and sick and tired - can she muster the will to hold it?
This was an interesting sequel - I had no idea where it was going. And the ending was definitely bonkers! I wasn't expecting that... but it did make sense. Sort of? I felt that this volume was a bit disjointed compared with the first, and I wasn't sure if that was down to editing, or the actual writing. It was very readable, and concluded the story nicely (apart from that ending, which left me thinking the door was wide open for more stories from this world, but let's see...).
I'll be passing this volume and its predecessor on to those who may enjoy it more and get more out of it. An interesting read, but once is enough for me.
Blurb:
General Arika Cobane, beloved leader of the worker rebellion, makes a bold - but illegal - move to ensure the people's freedom. When her scheme fails and her co-conspirator hangs for treason, Arika - overworked and overwrought - blacks out.
When she awakens, everything has changed. She's been stripped of her rank and power and the new leader of the Kongo, Kira Swan, is a charismatic traitor bent on consigning the Kongo under the guise of peace.
Desperate, Arika reunites with Hosea Kahn and seeks treatment for her blackouts at the Compound, deep in the deadly Obi Forest. Arike is determined to regain her influence, stop Kira Swan, and continue leading the Kongo to freedom, but time is running out and she's still unwell. Control is slipping from her fingers. When a new source of strength presents itself, an ancient authority reserved for the One destined to save the Kongo, Arika gives up everything, including Hosea Khan, to grasp the power, but - all alone, and sick and tired - can she muster the will to hold it?
This was an interesting sequel - I had no idea where it was going. And the ending was definitely bonkers! I wasn't expecting that... but it did make sense. Sort of? I felt that this volume was a bit disjointed compared with the first, and I wasn't sure if that was down to editing, or the actual writing. It was very readable, and concluded the story nicely (apart from that ending, which left me thinking the door was wide open for more stories from this world, but let's see...).
I'll be passing this volume and its predecessor on to those who may enjoy it more and get more out of it. An interesting read, but once is enough for me.
August 27, 2025
This book takes place 2 years after the first book 'The Record Keeper' which I didn't expect as it ended on a cliff hanger & needed to know what happened. Unfortunately we just get fragments & the plot takes a completely different route. It was really confusing & left me scratching my head trying to figure out what exactly was going on 🤭 however from about the 50% mark I was so attached to the characters and viscerally felt like I was going through the trials & tribulations with them, Arika makes very selfish & stupid decisions driven by obsession masquerading as passion. The plot twist was out of pocket & was odd what the original plot line seemed to be but I actually loved it & was shocked. The author is really not scared to kill off some really amazing side characters that really rips your heart out 😵💫 the book covers an array of themes like racism, oppression, slavery & communism which makes it uncomfortable to read sometimes but I was so invested! I definitely would recommend if you are intestinal in reading something different from the run of the mill viral books currently circulating
May 13, 2023
Spoilers ahead for the ending!
I felt kinda blah about the first book and the first third or so of this book. Then I got more and more into it until only a few chapters remained. For a good while it was an enjoyable read. So why the fuck decide that TREES are humanity's next enemy? At a time where it's SO HARD to get people to care about nature and our planet and the environment rather than greed and consumerism, how can you in good conscience make trees humanity's enemy? I don't get it and it makes me angry.
The writing is good. The writing style was fantastic in book 1 and it's still really engaging but everything else, from the characters to the plot to the dystopia she created to the maddening ending, I'm just not into this. Without the awful final chapters I'd give this 3,5 stars but it just ruins it for me so I can't bring myself to give more than two.
I felt kinda blah about the first book and the first third or so of this book. Then I got more and more into it until only a few chapters remained. For a good while it was an enjoyable read. So why the fuck decide that TREES are humanity's next enemy? At a time where it's SO HARD to get people to care about nature and our planet and the environment rather than greed and consumerism, how can you in good conscience make trees humanity's enemy? I don't get it and it makes me angry.
The writing is good. The writing style was fantastic in book 1 and it's still really engaging but everything else, from the characters to the plot to the dystopia she created to the maddening ending, I'm just not into this. Without the awful final chapters I'd give this 3,5 stars but it just ruins it for me so I can't bring myself to give more than two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2024
My thoughts in list form:
1. It’s not often that I like the second book more than the first, but this is one of those times. It could be the fact that I mostly listened to the first book but read the second.
2. The writing in this story is my ideal. Agnes Gomillion is incredibly creative with characters, plot, and her use of language. I truly never knew what was coming, right down to the epilogue.
3. Sometimes I hate dramatic character changes, and based on some reviews I’ve read, Gomillion has caught some crap for Arika’s change of heart. But to me, I think Arika had honest character growth… the kind that’s acceptable in real life (some people should try it).
4. I admire Arika’s love of her country. I think the concept of loving your country so much that you want better for it is lost in our society.
5. I wish we’d seen more of the notebook that held the stories of others. I think a great spinoff or companion to this duology would be a collection of life stories, starting with William’s.
1. It’s not often that I like the second book more than the first, but this is one of those times. It could be the fact that I mostly listened to the first book but read the second.
2. The writing in this story is my ideal. Agnes Gomillion is incredibly creative with characters, plot, and her use of language. I truly never knew what was coming, right down to the epilogue.
3. Sometimes I hate dramatic character changes, and based on some reviews I’ve read, Gomillion has caught some crap for Arika’s change of heart. But to me, I think Arika had honest character growth… the kind that’s acceptable in real life (some people should try it).
4. I admire Arika’s love of her country. I think the concept of loving your country so much that you want better for it is lost in our society.
5. I wish we’d seen more of the notebook that held the stories of others. I think a great spinoff or companion to this duology would be a collection of life stories, starting with William’s.
October 24, 2022
Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.
Even going back and reading the first book in the series I think I ended up with more questions than answers, which can be good I guess. Definitely one that eventually sucks you in and gets you interested. I would like to do a re-read at some point, but overall this was a good if somewhat confusing read. The narrator did a good job.
Even going back and reading the first book in the series I think I ended up with more questions than answers, which can be good I guess. Definitely one that eventually sucks you in and gets you interested. I would like to do a re-read at some point, but overall this was a good if somewhat confusing read. The narrator did a good job.
August 3, 2020
NICE BOOK.
April 22, 2023
I really liked the first one so I had hoped I would like this one the same but to me, it took a while to get interesting and then it ended abruptly.
March 24, 2024
Absolutely mind boggling and beautiful. A perfect sequel to The Record Keeper.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews