Rashika, The Book Owl

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

When I first read the blurb for this book, I was worried. It seemed as though Jax was going to make certain decisions that would make me shake my head and wonder where  the Jax I knew had gone. I needn’t have worried. Jax is still as fabulous and he did me even more proud this time around.

Jax is still dealing with the aftermath of finding out that his whole life may have been a lie and this leads to a lot of doubts. He wants a family but there seems to be nobody around who wants him just for him and that sometimes results in him missing some very obvious things (like the fact that Riley does in fact care for him) BUT, it’s understandable.

I love how brave Jax is. He is never fearless but he is brave. He goes to such lengths for his friends and I cannot help but love him for that. What makes his character such a pleasure to read about is that he reads like a kid his age. He is incredibly brave and smart and mature but that doesn’t make him seem like some grown up, it just makes him seem like Jax. His personality especially shined through in this installment.

Before I began the book, I had no idea that we'd get a second POV and when I first started reading from this character’s POV, I wasn’t sure how I felt but as I read more and more from his POV, I could see why it was essential to the story and I grew to love Dorian too. Dorian is a member of the Dulac family, the sworn enemies of Jax and sadly, also the closest relatives (as it turns out). Dorian however, at the beginning of the novel, is the complete opposite of Jax, or so he would think. He doesn’t see himself as brave, he doesn’t see himself as a ‘hero’. But he is one, in his own right. He may not be outgoing like Jax but growing up the way he did, I don’t blame him. He is brave in his own way. He risked himself trying to protect his sister who is constantly tortured by their father. He risked himself when he warned Jax and he further risked himself when he chose to help them.

The funny thing about all of this is that while Dorian’s father is not seen as the good guy, he was never seen as pure evil, just someone overly ambitious and I kind of liked that take. I liked that it wasn’t just about hating on the ‘evil’ parents.Dorian, in spite of everything, still cares enough about his parents.

What I did miss in this installment was a certain Riley. I may have a little crush on him. Just a little bit. And I wish he had been there more so that I could have seen him shine as well.

I still haven’t warmed up to Evangeline and I am waiting for that moment to come. It’s not that she isn’t a good character, it’s just, like I said in my review for book 1, we don’t know enough about her so I still don’t know what to think. I know that she is willing to risk herself for her friends but is that enough? I know a bit of her back story too but I feel like something is just missing.

What really had me excited was that Dianne explored the world. We had some sciencey explanations and I really liked that. It definitely made the nerd inside of me excited to get some explanations about how things worked in this world. I especially liked that we were introduced to some new magical creatures and even new sciency bits. This book really does combine science and magic in a fascinating way and I really cannot get enough of the world Dianne has created.

The plot definitely kept me on my toes and I am glad I had the suite to myself so no one could hear me yelling out random things. Dianne knows just how to pace her stories. She builds up and she takes us on a fantastic ride and you cannot help but feel satisfied at the end.

I haven’t decided which one of the books I enjoyed better, but I have to say, this was definitely a great addition to the series and I cannot wait to see where the next book will take us! Hopefully to magical places and beyond  and maybe even on a fun mythical ride.