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The Ancient Ones Trilogy #2

Liminality: The Ancient Ones Trilogy

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Picking up right where The Ancient Ones left off, David has just discovered the diabolical brother he left for dead in 15th century Romania has returned. Making matters even stranger, the news is delivered by his old friend, Danulf, the half-vampyre/half-lycanthrope he had also presumed dead. As Dan divulges his story to David and his newly reanimated lover, Morrigan, it becomes clear that the ancient pagan gods history hoped to forget are back. Another adventure throughout history, from the Carpathian Mountains to Pre-Revolutionary France, the story unfolds to reveal there is a much bigger problem than just the vainglorious Lucius. Even with the addition of a liminal witch named Cahira, the gods find themselves facing a threat that can erase their existence for good. Wrought with adventure, romance, tragedy, and heartache, the second book in The Ancient Ones Trilogy dives deeper into a tale as old as time itself... that bites.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2021

18 people are currently reading
171 people want to read

About the author

Cassandra L. Thompson

28 books299 followers
Gothic horror lover Cassandra L. Thompson has been creating stories since she got her grubby little hands around a pen. When she is not busy managing a house full of feral children (human and canine) with her beloved husband, you can find her wandering around cemeteries, taking pictures of abandoned things, or in the library researching her latest obsession. She has a B.A. in History and an MLIS, but she ignores her degrees to focus on writing and running Quill & Crow Publishing House, both of which require copious amounts of coffee and Crows.

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5 stars
68 (70%)
4 stars
18 (18%)
3 stars
8 (8%)
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2 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for K.R. Wieland.
Author 9 books17 followers
February 2, 2022
Thompson has done it again with this beautifully written sequel. I loved Reading David’s story in book one, but this time we get Morrigan’s story, along with Danulf’s and a new character, Cahira. Even with the new storylines, we still get more of David, Lucius, and Labraen but with a little more added in.

Dan’s story reminded me why I love werewolf stories! The blend of his internal fight and holding back from showing his love is brilliant and keeps me reading and wanting more from him.

Getting to read Morrigan’s story was heart-wrenching and yet all I want is for her to be free and wild, as she is meant to be, in my opinion at least.

Then Thompson throws in another fantastic female character that had me from the first moment she was introduced in the story. I loved Cahira and can’t wait to read more of her story hopefully in the next book.

This book hit all the marks for me. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third book, knowing that it’ll be brilliant and I won’t ever be ready to give up these characters.
Profile Image for Marvin Lee.
Author 5 books5 followers
October 3, 2021
With her second novel Cassandra Thompson proves once again how masterful of a storyteller she truly is. 

Liminality is a mix of historical fiction, ancient mythology, dark fantasy and gothic horror. All written in a lyrical prose that's almost poetic.

Dont worry though not everything in the book is dark and macabre. Where the Ancient Ones was gothic horror Liminality steers more into gothic romance. 

It's the perfect book to make our dark hearts bleed.


Profile Image for Brittany Weisrock.
Author 5 books53 followers
April 8, 2022
I'm glad I found time to work my way through this sequel.

It was a solid second to The Ancient Ones, which I loved.

Again, Thompson gave me a story rich in lore and darkness.
The beginning followed Dan and that was a bit unexpected for me! But I enjoyed seeing exactly how he came to be.
It was pleasant to have David and Morrigan together...

I did not have the time to tab this book for lines and quotes like The Ancient Ones due to hectic reading schedule, but I look forward to seeing where we and who we follow into the third book.

If you love Gothic-style fiction laced with bits of horror that has the old-school literary feel you don't often come across anymore--this is a series I highly recommend.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nicole.
175 reviews30 followers
November 3, 2022
Wow! I am loving this dark, twisty and complex story! The writing is so beautiful at times it's almost mesmerizing. I pre-ordered Revelations, but it hasn't even shipped yet 😭😭😭 I can't wait to see how it ends!
Profile Image for William Bartlett.
Author 37 books6 followers
October 13, 2021
Perfect sequel to The Ancient Ones. I didn’t think it possible for the author to out-do herself but she did. Liminality continues where the story left off, but the novel itself is bigger, better, and even more exciting and mind-blowing than its predecessor. An absolute must-read. Perfect plot, characterization, and theme. After having read Liminality, the anticipation for another sequel, has become enthralling. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jessika Glover.
Author 7 books112 followers
October 19, 2021
The second book in The Ancient Ones Trilogy did not disappoint. Still swelling with all the mythological veins as the first book, Liminality also gifted us more of the delicious Victorian gothic vibes of an English manor. Following along David’s journey and my personal protagonist, Lucius (yes, he was my favorite in the first book too), we find out the ties which bind all of our characters. From ancient Egyptian gods to mention of a wrathful Kali, Thompson expertly weaves each deity into her story, leaving us thirsting for more. I loved this book even more than the first, and cannot wait until the third. Thank you to Quill & Crow and the author for the ARC of Liminality.
Profile Image for Rosalyn Briar.
Author 10 books138 followers
October 22, 2022
I really enjoyed this sequel to The Ancient Ones! It was filled with mythology, lore, action, and heartache. With poetic prose and a gothic aesthetic, this book is as divine as its characters.

Although this installment focuses on Morrigan's story and memories, we also get to see Dan's POV and meet my absolute favorite character, Cahira! I absolutely loved her and can't wait to see more of her.

I'm not going to lie, when I said the book was filled with heartache, I meant it. I felt so bad for a couple of the characters in this book. Let's just say I have a lot of thoughts about Morrigan, good and bad, but I will wait until the next installment to see if I am right about her.

I am so excited to read Revelations to find out what happens to this crew of gods, vampires, and werewolves. If you enjoy ancient history, mythology, gothic romance, and paranormal creatures, this series is for you! I highly recommend!
437 reviews
December 6, 2021
Not nearly as good as the first. Prob won’t read the third too many creatures and reincarnations. Too confusing. Morrigan , David and Lucius are alive again they have this love triangle but band together to fight Angelique who destroys the other realms and they start to fight back. Opening it up for the third book
Profile Image for Han Adcock.
Author 13 books2 followers
October 26, 2021
For those of you who haven’t yet read The Ancient Ones, the first book in The Ancient Ones trilogy, LIMINALITY opens with a useful run-down of what transpired before our story starts. This section is not overly long (approximately ten pages) but gives the previous novel’s general outline. There are also scenes where other characters prompt one of the characters to tell them his or her history in various ways (hypnotism, recovering lost memories, or telling their adventures for Libraean to jot down) which gives the reader a method of catching up on the first book’s events in an organic way. That said, Liminality has deeper meaning if you have read the first book.

Liminality weaves together a multitude of legends and myths, as well as gods and goddesses from the Norse, Egyptian, Greek, Irish, and even African pantheons, the biblical story of Lilith, lycanthropy, Revolutionary French history (including the story of the Marquis de Sade) and vampirism in a heady Gothic adventure. There is even a Sumerian god included in one of the battle scenes in all his macabre finery.

I enjoyed the method of framing the story which Cassandra L. Thompson used, where the tale is told from the points of view of different characters — first from David’s point of view, (who was the main protagonist in the first book) then Dan’s, then Libraean’s, and so on. This was done skilfully, with each character having their own section so there wasn’t any head-hopping, and each character’s history was revealed in a non-linear way, which allows the reader to piece together what is happening in his / her own mind and doesn’t interfere with the main storyline taking place in the “present” (which is actually set in 19th century London).

The plotting was also excellent, with a few surprises in character development and an incredibly emotional twist towards the end, plenty of action, drama, and complex romance.

The writing could have been improved with another round of editing. There were some typos and grammatical errors. The pace of the writing was a little slow in the beginning, but improved quickly after that until I couldn’t switch off my kindle.

Cassandra used all five senses to evoke a sense of place in all her settings, including aromas, and also to evoke her characters, which is a nice touch. (Of course, a god whose powers involve fire would smell of cloves and spices. What else would he smell of?)

I actually liked Liminality even better than the Ancient Ones because of the extra characters’ viewpoints and all the intricate parallels between the gods and goddesses of different cultures. It’s like a theological Theory of Everything. The book also traverses several different countries and time periods, much like the first in the trilogy did, and some of the events in the second book “rhyme” with — and often invert — some of the events in the first book… a kind of unholy mass, if you will, which is ironically fitting for a Gothic horror novel. Like the reincarnated deities within it, the book has many different guises: a dark fantasy novel, a romantic tale, and a historical novel.

Liminality will make a great read for fans of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and fans of Roger Zelazny.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free as an advanced review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Jessica.
17 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2022
What an amazing and at the same time, aggravating book!

Liminality picks up where The Ancient Ones ended, with a newly re-animated Morrigan and Dan on the doorstep. We get to meet some new characters, some new revelations and the story from more perspectives.

We get to follow Dan as he tells his story from where we left him in Wallachia and until he arrived at Davids doorstep. We get some new insights from Morrigan as she re-remembers her life as the warrior goddess in Ireland. Then we get to hear from the big bad guy himself, Lucius who is trying to convince them he is not as he seems.

This instalment was enjoying to read, I have found myself binging this book along with a hot cup of tea. The writing is engaging, the characters complex and unpredictable and the tale is exciting. I have at times been frustrated with a characters decisions or inaction, I have cried at the emotional parts and I have raved to my poor husband about the (to me) inaccurate descriptions of religion and mythology. (I have a BA in religion, I don't blame the author) I fully understand why the author have taken these liberties with the religious descriptions and changes to mythology to fit the narrative and the story. Still bothered me as I grumbled and read on.

My biggest point of criticism is the very Eurocentric way of perceiving religion and its use in everyday life. I am unable to go into details as that would result in quite a massive spoiler and that is not the point of this review. I understand that it is impossible to research everything for a story about vampires in olden times, but when religion becomes the main focus of the story, I would have wanted to see more representation of other ways of living with ones own religion, especially the Asian and Middle Eastern ones. This is the reason for my 4 star rating.

All in all, a very entertaining book with lots of good points! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one!

A small disclaimer; I received an advanced review copy for free and I have left this review voluntarily. Receiving a copy for free has in no way, shape or form affected the honesty of this review.
Profile Image for Katy The Sleepy Reader.
391 reviews39 followers
October 15, 2022
Cassandra Thompson has done it again! I really enjoyed this book, honestly, I liked it more than the first one. The characters continued to grow and evolve, and we got even more in depth with their back stories. Picking up right where the first book left off, the book opens by giving us some background on the first book which was nice and gave just enough info for those who haven't read it and refreshed the memories of those that had.

Throughout the book, we are given varying viewpoints from each character. Delving us deeply into their history, retrieving lost memories and sharing adventure stories. Cassandra once again takes us on a journey through a plethora of myths and legends. I love all the research you can tell the author did. Weaving Irish, Greek, Egyptian, African and French history all together, in a way that makes sense. Of course, we can forget the vampires and Lycans and the gods and goddesses.

While normally I would give a little blurb about the plot, if I do that, I risk giving away spoilers from the first book. So instead, I'll just say, this is a fantastic series and well worth a read. The characters, the locations, the in-depth research done for this book makes it nothing less than a beautifully written piece of art. I have the third installment ready as an ARC and have already started it.

Profile Image for Jessica.
28 reviews19 followers
November 2, 2021
How does one put into words just how beautiful a story is when they finish reading a book. I don't know that there is really a way to string the correct words together. But what I can string together and say is that Cassandra Thompson has done it again, the world she brings us back into with her sequel in The Ancient Ones Trilogy is beautiful and magnificent to put it simply.

I'm often amazed when authors are able to seamlessly combined multiple genre's into a singular effort. Historical Fiction? Check. Ancient Mythology? Check. Dark Fantasy? Another check. Where the first novel steered closely to a darker undertone, this one brings in a bit more of romance into the mix.

Beautifully written, a story I know I'll find myself picking up again and again through the years to come. It reminds me of novels I've read in the past that with each reread I will pick up on the smaller more minuet details that are left as breadcrumbs to continue to allow us to piece together the underlying picture.

I can't wait for the third installment and look forward to the day I get to return to the beautifully crafted world that Cassandra had created for us.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Robin Ginther-Venneri.
1,013 reviews80 followers
November 12, 2021
Liminality (The Ancient Ones Trilogy Book 2)
by Cassandra L. Thompson

Artistically Outstanding!

Picking up right where The Ancient Ones left off,

I usually summarize the book in my reviews, but I can’t with this one because I do not want to ruin the experience for anyone. Because you know, you can never get that back. It’s what I like to call “love at first read”. You would give anything to read a book like it’s the first time. This book heck this series is like that. “Sigh”

Read the first book The Ancient Ones (The Ancient Ones Trilogy Book 1)
Immerse yourself in the second book
Liminality (The Ancient Ones Trilogy)
Repeat
Pray for the third book

Cassandra L. Thompson is a strong, intelligent, and creative woman and it shows in her writing. I highly recommend her series for readers of any genre.

I won a giveaway for a signed copy of this book. Thank you Cassandra L. Thompson.


1 review
October 22, 2021
Though I did not get a chance to purchase and read the first book of The Ancient Ones, I was easily able to follow where the storyline was headed in Liminality. It was very hard to put this book down just to go to sleep and to work the next morning. If I could, I would have taken the day off work just to read the whole thing all at once! I only just recently got back into reading about Gods, Goddesses, etc., and this book has more than doubled my interest in wanting to learn more about them. The story lines with each character drew me in in different ways depending on which character I was reading about. I will be making it a goal of mine to own all the books in the Ancient Ones Trilogy. I cannot wait for the next book.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Michelle.
171 reviews
Read
November 3, 2021
I honestly had not read the first book in this series when receiving a free ARC on this 2nd book, but that did not take away from the story. There is a good summary of the first book at the beginning that was so detailed I had no trouble following what was going on.

The book catches your attention from the very beginning. It has everything... vampires, werewolves, Egyptian gods and goddesses... just about everything in fantasy or mythology is in this series mixed together for a unique read. It is one of those books that will make you want to stay up too late or will make you think about it all day. The story is complex, but absolutely wonderful. I will have no problem looking for more books by the author in the future.

I received a free ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
Profile Image for Raven and Chris.
3,291 reviews30 followers
October 29, 2022
The second book in the Ancient Ones trilogy continues the story of David, Lucius, the Morrigan and the other mythical and legendary beings that make up a fascinating cast of characters. I love the author's take on vampires, gods, goddesses and how they move through different lives and different incarnations. Any concerns I had of the story losing momentum from the first novel were lost before I finished the first chapter. The gothic atmosphere and fell of the story told with flowing prose and beautiful details pulls the reader in and the characters have depth and dimension that keeps you there once you're hooked.

If you enjoy complex story arcs, gothic themes, brilliant takes on myth and legend, and characters that evolve and grow over their various incarnations this book will check all the boxes!

I received an advanced reader copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Mark.
239 reviews5 followers
August 10, 2024
Though I really enjoyed the almost hypnotic narration by Joshua Saxton, this second installment of “The Ancient Ones” felt a bit underwhelming and repetitive. While it was interesting to learn more about each character’s backstory and how they all interconnect, it all grew a bit tedious after awhile. The Doomed Lost Love stuff, along with that old piñata of “The Patriarchy” threat made it clear I wasn’t the intended audience for this particular campfire tale. Thompson’s decidedly unfavorable opinion of Christianity also bubbled to the surface more than once, feeling more like a personal screed than anything any of her characters would organically verbalize. There were certainly moments of inspiration, but, for the most part, it became more an unwieldy soap opera than the epic saga Thompson believed she was weaving. Needless to say, I won’t be back for part three.
Profile Image for Donald Grant.
Author 9 books17 followers
November 2, 2021
One word- Awesome....

First, let me say that if you have not read The Ancient Ones, (Volume1) then be sure to do so before reading this one.
Second, Thompson is a master at crafting a story and Volume 2 only cements that idea. While this moves the story along, the majority of it is back story to things that have gone on before, thus the need to read vol. 1 first.
Third, in a genre that has almost been overdone, Thompson continues to bring a fresh and dynamic viewpoint that keeps the reader riveted to the page. As with all good trilogies, volume 2 leaves the reader anxiously waiting for volume 3!
A solid five star read..
Profile Image for Matthew.
Author 10 books40 followers
December 29, 2022
This story continued and built on the world and lore started in the first book, The Ancient Ones. I loved learning more of the history and intermingling of lore and story between all of the many and varied characters and how everything ties together. I loved all of the characters and the depth of them that left me wanting more.
Profile Image for Lisa Morris.
27 reviews6 followers
April 27, 2024
Liminality, the second book of the series The Ancient Ones, is somehow even better than the first. The endearing panoply of characters continues to tug at heartstrings as they slowly uncover memories of past lives, and come together to save their realms, and each other. While I’m eager to continue their story with Revelations, a very large part of me wants this series never to end.
Profile Image for Lucas Mann.
7 reviews1 follower
June 13, 2022
Incredible sequel to the first book. The story just gets deeper and more intriguing, twisting your emotions and keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The prose is beautifully poetic and definitely worth the read. Can't wait for the finale!
Profile Image for Layla, the Witch next door.
67 reviews5 followers
October 15, 2022
This second book in Cassandra’s Ancient Ones Trilogy does not disappoint. This story is epic, it crosses worlds and time and is such an engaging read. Gothic horror, love, monsters, gods, goddesses, history, this trilogy has it all. The way the author writes about these characters is masterfully done. Very excited to read the next book.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
Author 10 books17 followers
January 2, 2023
Cassandra has done it again! While The Ancient Ones was a fantastic book, Liminality truly shines. The prose creates stunning visuals and Morrigan’s growth makes her even more relatable. One of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors!
Profile Image for Nicky tenney.
9 reviews2 followers
November 26, 2021
It was one of the amazing ass books I ever read I love the thrill in action
Profile Image for Claire.
2 reviews
Read
December 2, 2021
I loved this book! I can’t wait for the third one! The author put so much attention to detail I felt like I was in the book. I could not stop reading!
Profile Image for Adam.
34 reviews
February 10, 2022
I really like this series and can't wait until you third one comes out.
79 reviews2 followers
June 8, 2023
Perspective is everything. A fine mixture of beliefs and theology, all wrapped in a tale of intrigue, betrayal, and love.
Let the final battle begin...
Profile Image for Jennifer Rae.
295 reviews
December 7, 2024
Just as good as the first one, I could handle this cliffhanger wasn't as bad. However, the ending made me cry he was favorite and better come back again. Now I need to buy the third one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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