Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Resistance
SERIES: Reawakening #2
AUTHOR: Amy Rae Durreson
PUBLISHER: DSP Publications
LENGTH: 350 pages
Release Date: December 29, 2015
BLURB:
Overthrowing the Shadow that ruled Tiallat was only the first step. For rebel leader Iskandir, rebuilding his shattered country is an even greater challenge. A poor harvest, religious conflict, and years of tyrannical governance combine with the challenge of getting the soldiers of the Shadow’s army home and rehousing the exiled who are flooding back into free Tiallat.
Then people begin to get sick.
A thousand years ago, after the Shadow’s first defeat, a blight fell upon the north: a disease that killed more than the war itself. Now, as this plague returns, Iskandir must look north again to the newly awakened dragon Halsarr, a learned doctor and professor who wants no part in a new war. Even if Halsarr agrees to come to their aid, Iskandir is afraid of the truth he will expose. For the dragon Halsarr once loved a bold and reckless steppes elemental who later transformed into the lonely and powerful Dual God of Tiallat, the two-faced Lord who has been missing since the Shadow entered the country.
REVIEW:
Iskandir doesn’t feel like much of a God; his country is in shambles, his people are hurt and hungry and the faith that has sustained him is waning. Regardless, he is determined to do everything he can to help, even as he hides who he really is. When Tarnamell awoke, the world was unprepared to deal with the returned dragon king but when Halsarr awakes, Iskandir finds he is at just as much of a loss.
One thousand years of separation has left Iskandir changed, however, and when people begin falling sick and then start dying in droves, working with Halsarr may prove to be the only hope his people have. Iskandir will just have to hope he doesn’t lose his heart again in the process.
Oh my god I was so excited for this book! I thought the first one was amazing and this was no different. Iskandir was briefly mentioned near the end of the previous book but this is where we really get to meet him, both as the leader of the resistance and as the dual God of Tiallat. I loved Iskandir’s character; he isn’t perfect by any means but he’s trying his best to do what’s right for his people while struggling with his own personal demons. Halsarr was kind of an enigma to me; he wasn’t anything like his brother, Tarnamell, and while its great he stood out as an individual, I never felt as though I understood him as well.
The pacing of the story is also different from the first book but it worked really well; there was a lot of movement and action in the first book but this one revolves more around the city of Tiallat and the problems left in the wake of the shadow. Things are far from over in that fight but this is where you really get to see how bad the fight with the shadow is going to get.
A couple of characters from the previous book make an appearance but the focus is on Iskandir and his people, which was great. I did find this a bit bittersweet though as there was a lot of loss in this book; I found myself in tears at a couple of different points in the story but I think that made the end of the book much more powerful.
This really was a fantastic read but you do have to read the previous book, Reawakening, in order to understand what’s going on. I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to the next one!
RATING:
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