The Sphere of the Winds

The Floating Islands #2

by Rachel Neumeier

The Long awaited sequel to The Floating Islands

The Floating Islands are under siege.

Trei, Araenè, and their friends saved the Floating Islands once, thwarting the Toulonn Empire’s attempt at conquest. But the Toulonnese haven’t given up, and the same trick certainly won’t work a second time … especially when the Islands unexpectedly lose their special connection to dragon magic.

Then it turns out that Toulonn is not the only, or the worst, enemy the Floating Islands face. As peril grows, Trei, with his connection to Toulonn, and Araenè, with her an unusual style of magic, will need all their strength and resolve if they are to find a way to safeguard the Islands once more.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dragons, Ebooks, Fiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2021

About the author

Rachel Neumeier started writing fiction to relax when she was a graduate student and needed a hobby unrelated to her research. Prior to selling her first fantasy novel, she had published only a few articles in venues such as The American Journal of Botany. However, finding that her interests did not lie in research, Rachel left academia and began to let her hobbies take over her life instead.

She now raises and shows dogs, gardens, cooks, and occasionally finds time to read. She works part-time for a tutoring program, though she tutors far more students in Math and Chemistry than in English Composition.

Reviews

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a great story, likeable characters and very nicely written. loved every moment of it and i am hoping there are more stories in this world.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So - I love The Floating Islands. I’ve raved about it before. It was the first book I really loved from Rachel Neumeier. I think a lot about it is perfect, and I don’t say that lightly.

There are aspects of this, its sequel, which are impressive. First, it nails the Floating Islands sound. It is so clearly in the same universe. That can’t have been easy; there’s a ten-year gap between these books.

But there’s something about the lack of any sort of passage of time in the book itself that throws it off. The Floating Islands had high stakes. This turns around, seemingly the next day, to raise them even higher, and to reframe previous enemies as the only good option. The timing is too condensed for the impact to really land: these same characters have just fought for this same thing about two minutes ago! And there are more elements that aren’t really given the time they need: Ceirfei becoming heir and then king in the space of about three breaths, Trei being forced to fly only to have a magic healer show up and fix everything, the magic school doing obscure things, Araene making the same mistakes she made in book 1 but thinking she isn’t because of course she knows better now...

And yet the world is so interesting and exciting that I was rapt, even with a condensed plot and a lack of character development. Neumeier’s gift manifests in worlds which live, even when the storytelling is abrupt and the character decisions repetitive or irritating. You’d think the weak elements would drag the rest of the book down. But they don’t, and that’s fascinating.

This isn’t a particularly well-rounded story, but the setting is so great that I still want to hear more about the characters - maybe see them finally grow up.

PS: I bought the ebook, but on Nook, not Kindle. I need Barnes and Noble to stay in business.

[Debbie Gascoyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5 stars. I liked it marginally better than The Floating Islands, especially the mid-section, where Ceirfei and Trei in particular come into their own. I always appreciate the way Neumeier gives us intelligent, thoughtful, ethical characters who think things through and do their best. I was slightly disappointed that Araene didn't seem to be given much to do except wander around fretting, and she seemed less mature than the other characters. There is definitely room left for a sequel and I for one will be eager to read it.

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good sequel

I can't believe fans of this series had to wait 10 YEARS for this sequel 😱
I'm glad I picked it up after it was done haha
Although.....the author did state she may revisit this world and it's already been 4 years 😬 So I may have a wait for book 3 lol
I had expected a wee bit more romance in this book with the way things ended in book 1 but we didn't get much of that lol
What we get is an action packed story, full of strategies, magic, and mayhem 🙊
Old enemies become allies when a new threat arises. Magical disasters happen to the Floating Islands with an attempt to protect themselves and its up to Trei, Araenè, and their friends to save their home!
Poor Trei once again puts so much of himself, too much. Things are changing and while the book did spend a lot of time explaining the poltical impact of what was going on, it also just threw us into the action. One minute with Araenè going through a labyrinth and another flying with Trei as he meets a dragon or is falling to certain death 🙀
Really enjoyed the adventure and the plot twists and how clever all the novices were! The ending did feel a bit rushed but it was solid. It did leave room for more books in the future but can also be seen as an ending to an epic story. Highly recommend 😄

[Kell Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a sequel to The Floating Islands, and one filled with expansion to the world and magic of the dragons, the island kingdom they keep aloft between two empires, and the kajurahai, the winged men (and now one woman, as traditions modernize) that fly between them. Core to this story is loss, responsibility, identity, and the strong relationship between the cousins, Trei, the kajurahi novice, and Adreane, the mage novice, who are both caught between worlds and roles. I enjoyed Ceirfei's growth a great deal as well although he ghosted Adreane way too much after they found the sphere. Sure they had lots to other things to do, but he put her at a distance. I hope there is a sequel and they end up together, although they may not. Neumeier does not center her romances at all, but I like the way she builds them and I want these two together.

[Charlotte]

I love The Floating Islands, and although much of what I loved (the magic and the world building) was here too, I put this one down feeling disappointed. The political aspects of the plot were not convincing, with the young main characters not seeming to have any impulse control and sort of spewing out their personal thoughts with no diplomatic filter, and getting away with it. The over arching plot also left me with questions--why was Adreane drawn down to the labyrinth to find the sphere of the winds? Why wasn't more made of the cryptic dragon words from the beginning of the book, which appear to have been forgotten 50 pages later? And I think if you have a mysterious mage popping in and out and unable to communicate clearly while knowing all the things, it would be nice to give the reader some sort of closure and have him pop in again at the end....

that being said, Rachel Neumeier is the best describer of fantasy doors ever!

[Dorothy Winsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long awaited sequel to The Floating Islands, which is one of my favorite books. One of the things I like about this series is that the books have heart. There’s adventure, sure. In this book, the islands are under attack from two different empires, and the characters each play a part in averting disaster. But it’s the path the characters travel to do it that I find appealing. Their inner arcs are what kept me reading. The magic is also engaging. “Dragon magic,” this book calls it. I like dragons. Highly recommended.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/1...

So I wasn’t as into this one. It just didn’t grab me at all, and I put it down a few times before deciding I might as well see what happened. By the back half I was more into it, there was some interesting political maneuvering. I can’t figure out why it left me a little cold. Too much plot, not enough emotion? The girl tending toward sulkiness? I dunno. B.

[Wilbert Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Floating Islands is one of my old time favorites, and I've been waiting for this for literally years. So perhaps my rating isn't the most unbiased. Not sorry.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to The Floating Islands. High stakes, cool magic and appealing characters, cousins, Trei and Araene. I was a little afraid that the plot was going to be a rematch between the plucky Islanders and the Toulounn Empire, but a lovely plot twist at about the one-third mark kept things fresh and interesting.

[Russell Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me longer to get into than the first one. Some of the magic and things happening (and why) were hard to follow. However once it got going it was quite good. Liked the political intrigue and plot twists.

[Kathrine Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good YA

Neumeier writes extremely well- vivid description, well thought through action, tense suspense.
As always, her names are ultra-complex and a bit hard to keep straight, but they fit and make sense.
Altogether a great read.

[stacy goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting

An exciting adventure with engaging personalities. Ms. Neumeier’s writing is clean and detailed. This was an intense and satisfying story.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm much more pleased with Araené's role in this one, as badly as it starts off. Plus this book has the same lovely scenery and flow of the first one.

[Katherine Stevick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun. Better executed, too, than the first book. Love the descriptions of magic using the flavors of spices and herbs.

[Kinsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I like this book more than the first. The characters were more developed and the world building was very enjoyable. Not quite 5 stars but still a nice book.

[Siavahda · Rating 5 out of 5]

So UNBELIEVABLY worth waiting a decade for! Every aspect of this book is simply perfect. So, SO happy we got to return to the Flying Islands!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Araene was a bit more petulant and childish this book, but in the end she turned out absolutely right. For that I enjoyed this one less than the first, but in all, a good follow up to book one. Curious to know if there will be more in this series!