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Stellar Eclipse #2
Dark Lightning
An unexpected journey into the wilderness can test even the strongest bonds...
Nearly a year has passed since the slaughterhouse raid. Eureka should be happy now that he and Baltan are Azzie and Lleuwellyn's legal guardians, but he can't shake the feeling that a storm waits on the horizon.
When Eureka's brother arrives with news that Kwoltan Gera was attacked and asks for help, Eureka knows he can't turn away--especially after the search for their missing tribe leads them to a reclusive Azure village where trust is hard to come by and war looms overhead.
Old grudges and past failures follow close, and they may have deadly consequences for Eureka's family.
Nearly a year has passed since the slaughterhouse raid. Eureka should be happy now that he and Baltan are Azzie and Lleuwellyn's legal guardians, but he can't shake the feeling that a storm waits on the horizon.
When Eureka's brother arrives with news that Kwoltan Gera was attacked and asks for help, Eureka knows he can't turn away--especially after the search for their missing tribe leads them to a reclusive Azure village where trust is hard to come by and war looms overhead.
Old grudges and past failures follow close, and they may have deadly consequences for Eureka's family.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 22, 2020
1 person is currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 6, 2020
A year after Selkess threatened to upend their family, Eureka, Baltan, Azzie, and Llewellyn are trying to make the best of their new lives. But, trauma and fear have left the small family shaken, with an unrelenting fear that danger is on the horizon. That fear is justified when Eureka’s brother, Keida, arrives with news that the Easterners have attacked Kwoltan Gera, and now their tribe is missing.
In a leap for duty to his people, Eureka and his family set out on a journey to help Keida, his wife Shaeda, his daughter Naesa, and young warrior Beialk to find Kwoltan Gera. Along the way though, they get wrapped into the dramas of another tribe deep in the forest, that places their own life at risk.
Avalon Roselin paints a wonderful story, creating a unique world filled with inspirations from both our world and her own imagination. The reader is transported immediately back into the lives of Eureka, Baltan, Azzie, and Lleuwellyn, picking up the pieces after the slaughterhouse incident. The plot moves at just the right pace, giving the reader enough time to reconnect with these characters, as well as make new friends.
I initially said in my review for Cloudless Rain, how I was initially unsure about the story, due to its mix of human and non-human creatures. Once again, I am so glad I was wrong. The Azures are the charm of the Stellar Eclipse series; not only do we see more of them in this book, but we are introduced to the Azures of Morit Gera, who have a genetic trait that allows them to fly. These traits play into their culture, and turn the Azures not into just one type of people, but many types, just like humanity.
And like humanity, they have suffered at the hands of greedy individuals: both Azure and Easterner in kind. While the Easterners take land, once again the Azures are faced with conflict within their tribes, all of which they are forced to over come.
While these ideas of colonialism and internal societal struggles are the heart of Dark Lightning, fundamentally, this is Azzie’s story. We once again delve into Azzie’s point-of-view, where we are not just told a coming of age tale that explores Azzie’s first love and his slowly mounting powers, but also one of a teenager working his way through trauma after years of abuse. Roselin does a fantastic job exploring this, creating a character that is not just defined by his abuse, but also has attributes that define him: a hero-complex similar to his father, an innate curiosity, and a rebellious side. .
That being said, Dark Lightning is quite different from Cloudless Rain, but for all the right reasons. While Cloudless Rain introduces itself as a detective novel, Dark Lightning is much more about family and personal growth in face of adversaries. While the books each come to their own conclusion and can be read on their own, I highly recommend picking up Cloudless Rain first to get a feel for the characters. Also, if you enjoyed Cloudless Rain for its investigative side, be aware that Dark Lightning does take a twist. While I think it is for the best, some may not.
It’s not often you can say that a sequel is better than the original, but in this case, I think I can say that I love Dark Lightning more than Cloudless Rain (and I loved that book too)!
So please, go pick up a copy of Cloudless Rain. And while you’re at it, pre-order a copy of Dark Lightning. It is worth it!
Note: I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
In a leap for duty to his people, Eureka and his family set out on a journey to help Keida, his wife Shaeda, his daughter Naesa, and young warrior Beialk to find Kwoltan Gera. Along the way though, they get wrapped into the dramas of another tribe deep in the forest, that places their own life at risk.
Avalon Roselin paints a wonderful story, creating a unique world filled with inspirations from both our world and her own imagination. The reader is transported immediately back into the lives of Eureka, Baltan, Azzie, and Lleuwellyn, picking up the pieces after the slaughterhouse incident. The plot moves at just the right pace, giving the reader enough time to reconnect with these characters, as well as make new friends.
I initially said in my review for Cloudless Rain, how I was initially unsure about the story, due to its mix of human and non-human creatures. Once again, I am so glad I was wrong. The Azures are the charm of the Stellar Eclipse series; not only do we see more of them in this book, but we are introduced to the Azures of Morit Gera, who have a genetic trait that allows them to fly. These traits play into their culture, and turn the Azures not into just one type of people, but many types, just like humanity.
And like humanity, they have suffered at the hands of greedy individuals: both Azure and Easterner in kind. While the Easterners take land, once again the Azures are faced with conflict within their tribes, all of which they are forced to over come.
While these ideas of colonialism and internal societal struggles are the heart of Dark Lightning, fundamentally, this is Azzie’s story. We once again delve into Azzie’s point-of-view, where we are not just told a coming of age tale that explores Azzie’s first love and his slowly mounting powers, but also one of a teenager working his way through trauma after years of abuse. Roselin does a fantastic job exploring this, creating a character that is not just defined by his abuse, but also has attributes that define him: a hero-complex similar to his father, an innate curiosity, and a rebellious side. .
That being said, Dark Lightning is quite different from Cloudless Rain, but for all the right reasons. While Cloudless Rain introduces itself as a detective novel, Dark Lightning is much more about family and personal growth in face of adversaries. While the books each come to their own conclusion and can be read on their own, I highly recommend picking up Cloudless Rain first to get a feel for the characters. Also, if you enjoyed Cloudless Rain for its investigative side, be aware that Dark Lightning does take a twist. While I think it is for the best, some may not.
It’s not often you can say that a sequel is better than the original, but in this case, I think I can say that I love Dark Lightning more than Cloudless Rain (and I loved that book too)!
So please, go pick up a copy of Cloudless Rain. And while you’re at it, pre-order a copy of Dark Lightning. It is worth it!
Note: I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 13, 2020
4.5 stars - a wonderful follow-up to book one in the Stellar Eclipse series, Cloudless Rain. In this installment we follow Eureka, Azzie, Baltan, and Lleuwellyn on a new adventure that expands the universe and explores the new, ever-evolving dynamics between their found family. It builds on the story of book one while managing to maintain a unique feel that make it its own, fresh tale.
This book fells like a whimsical mix between epic and urban fantasy with elements of mystery. Recommended for fans of all three genres. The ending will leave you excited for the third installment of the series, which is (hopefully!) coming soon.
This book fells like a whimsical mix between epic and urban fantasy with elements of mystery. Recommended for fans of all three genres. The ending will leave you excited for the third installment of the series, which is (hopefully!) coming soon.
September 6, 2020
This book was somehow better than the first one (which if you haven’t read you definitely should, it’s really good.) But this one is like, basically perfect in my opinion. The characters are all realistic and interesting, which has always been my favorite part of this series, but the plot is just as well thought out and exciting.
The characters’ relationships with each other are really great too. Like Azzie and Lleuwellyn for example. Even though they’re not related by blood, they’re definitely siblings. They have the perfect mix of teasing each other sometimes and really caring about each other. I was smiling every time they had a nice moment together. I just really care about both of them and I’m glad they have each other. And that’s just one relationship that stood out to me. All the characters really do have their own separate relationships with each other, and they’re all pretty realistic and I enjoyed reading about them.
The worldbuilding is great too, Morit Gera might be the most interesting tribe so far. I mean, flying Azures? That’s pretty awesome. And they have cool lore too.
Well anyway I could probably obsess about this book for a lot longer, but I don’t wanna give spoilers. And since I’m not that good at criticizing things, especially since I can’t think of anything to criticize about this book, I guess this review is done now. If you haven’t read Cloudless rain yet go read that, and if you have then go read Dark Lightning. This series is honestly one of my favorites right now and it deserves way more fans than it has.
The characters’ relationships with each other are really great too. Like Azzie and Lleuwellyn for example. Even though they’re not related by blood, they’re definitely siblings. They have the perfect mix of teasing each other sometimes and really caring about each other. I was smiling every time they had a nice moment together. I just really care about both of them and I’m glad they have each other. And that’s just one relationship that stood out to me. All the characters really do have their own separate relationships with each other, and they’re all pretty realistic and I enjoyed reading about them.
The worldbuilding is great too, Morit Gera might be the most interesting tribe so far. I mean, flying Azures? That’s pretty awesome. And they have cool lore too.
Well anyway I could probably obsess about this book for a lot longer, but I don’t wanna give spoilers. And since I’m not that good at criticizing things, especially since I can’t think of anything to criticize about this book, I guess this review is done now. If you haven’t read Cloudless rain yet go read that, and if you have then go read Dark Lightning. This series is honestly one of my favorites right now and it deserves way more fans than it has.
August 23, 2020
I've been looking forward to the second book in the Stellar Eclipse series for a while, and Dark Lightning doesn't disappoint. At least in my experience, it seems pretty rare to have a sequel that's better than the first book, but Dark Lightning gets the distinction of being one of those cases, as it builds on both the characters and the existing world to create an amazingly compelling story. We get some great development not only for Eureka, Azzie, and the rest of the main cast, but also with the side characters--the most notable of which is Keida, who we see learning how to cope with his new responsibilities and dealing with the fractured relationship with his brother. Plus, we get to learn quite a bit more about Azure culture, which--as someone who loves worldbuilding--was incredibly fascinating. This book had incredible pacing, wonderful character building and dynamics, and an interesting world to get lost in. Would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys fantasy and found family stories.
August 10, 2020
I've been looking forward to this book coming out for a while now, and I wasn't disappointed! Roselin has a really lovely style of writing, where she's able to paint the scenery without losing track of the momentum of the story. By the time I finished reading this book, these characters felt like friends that I'd been through a tough time with - and I was planning when I'd be able to read the book a second time. (later this week, for those wondering!)
The Azures have always been one of my favorite aspects of the Stellar Eclipse series; I was instantly drawn into their existence during my read-through of Cloudless Rain, and was more than a little pleased to see them expanded on even more in this book - through the Azures of Morit Gera. And, of course, through a second chance to see Azzie in action. In fact, we get to learn a lot more about Azzie in this story, watching him grow and come into himself!
Naesa was a true treasure in this book, too! I looked forward to every scene that had her in it. Her interactions with Baltan were absolute gems. I loved watching Azzie and Eureka develop together, too; the way that these characters interact with each other all felt incredibly natural. Honestly, I can easily say that this cast contains some of my favorite characters out of the more recently released books.
I was one of the lucky few selected to be an Advanced Copy Reader for this book, and I am thrilled to have gotten that chance. I highly recommend this book to any fans of the fantasy genre - or those who are looking for a book that contains some really solid found family scenarios. The characters are solid. The magic is enchanting. And the story itself just begs to be read time and again. A solid gold stars for me!
The Azures have always been one of my favorite aspects of the Stellar Eclipse series; I was instantly drawn into their existence during my read-through of Cloudless Rain, and was more than a little pleased to see them expanded on even more in this book - through the Azures of Morit Gera. And, of course, through a second chance to see Azzie in action. In fact, we get to learn a lot more about Azzie in this story, watching him grow and come into himself!
Naesa was a true treasure in this book, too! I looked forward to every scene that had her in it. Her interactions with Baltan were absolute gems. I loved watching Azzie and Eureka develop together, too; the way that these characters interact with each other all felt incredibly natural. Honestly, I can easily say that this cast contains some of my favorite characters out of the more recently released books.
I was one of the lucky few selected to be an Advanced Copy Reader for this book, and I am thrilled to have gotten that chance. I highly recommend this book to any fans of the fantasy genre - or those who are looking for a book that contains some really solid found family scenarios. The characters are solid. The magic is enchanting. And the story itself just begs to be read time and again. A solid gold stars for me!
October 2, 2020
Book Theme Song: My Blood by Twenty One Pilots
My favorite thing about book 1 was the complex family dynamic between the protagonists, and this book expands even further on that. Everybody plays off each other in really interesting ways and I loved seeing the characters bring out different sides of each other. The main focus is how everybody deals with the emotional baggage of the events of the previous book. If you've ever been through trauma or abuse yourself, some passages might hit close to home. I especially liked Eureka's and Azzie's arcs and the development of their father-son relationship. Azzie and Lleuwellyn's brotherly bond is also very touching.
There are a lot of new characters introduced and most of them have long and complex names, so they can be hard to tell apart sometimes. However, they're all interesting. There's interesting parallels between some of the new characters and the ones we know.
The mystery in this book concerns another Azure tribe's complex political conflict. The way the three Azure cultures and Baltan's Eastern culture interact adds an interesting dimension and plenty of conflict. The mystery seems to take more of a backseat in this book than the previous one, but the two plots are still balanced very well. It never felt like one was overshadowing the other, it just felt like a natural progression.
The book ends on a jarring cliffhanger that leaves me eager to read the next installment! There are so many unanswered questions and new developments!
My favorite thing about book 1 was the complex family dynamic between the protagonists, and this book expands even further on that. Everybody plays off each other in really interesting ways and I loved seeing the characters bring out different sides of each other. The main focus is how everybody deals with the emotional baggage of the events of the previous book. If you've ever been through trauma or abuse yourself, some passages might hit close to home. I especially liked Eureka's and Azzie's arcs and the development of their father-son relationship. Azzie and Lleuwellyn's brotherly bond is also very touching.
There are a lot of new characters introduced and most of them have long and complex names, so they can be hard to tell apart sometimes. However, they're all interesting. There's interesting parallels between some of the new characters and the ones we know.
The mystery in this book concerns another Azure tribe's complex political conflict. The way the three Azure cultures and Baltan's Eastern culture interact adds an interesting dimension and plenty of conflict. The mystery seems to take more of a backseat in this book than the previous one, but the two plots are still balanced very well. It never felt like one was overshadowing the other, it just felt like a natural progression.
The book ends on a jarring cliffhanger that leaves me eager to read the next installment! There are so many unanswered questions and new developments!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews