The second book of the Storyweaver series, compared to the usual, starts with a time gap – and a false sense of calm that changes later than I expected, but quite abruptly.

The first book ended with a dark sorcerer unleashing the Shavln – a power few know about. Lan, Sophie, and other survivors of the event had retreated. The two siblings have found a new home and an opportunity to train. This has been going for quite a while, though the book gives only vague hints like “a few years”, so the exact timeline isn’t known.

This gap has been easier – or maybe harder – on Sophie, who still struggles to reach her full potential when it comes to magic. Her previous teacher, Ridaln, is missing since the events of the first book, though he’s presumed to be alive. Despite his uncertain loyalties, Sophie often thinks about him as someone who maybe wasn’t a better teacher than her current mentors, but knew better how to work with her.

Lan had, meanwhile, grown his skills with the blade among the Taigh, though he doesn’t have any magical powers. He has gained some respect for his fighting skills and the victories he’s won (though those aren’t mentioned in detail) but people still treat him with suspicions due to his past among the enemy.

Tensions grow at the border, despite no hint of the dark magic being on the move. Lan ends up getting to know the Raven Queen’s son in his own way – saving the prince from an ambush, fighting off enemies with strange skills.

When Lan isn’t taken on one major outing – due to his lack of magical skills – he rides towards the woods, hoping to have some rest and time to think. Instead, he’s pursued by a strange, shadowy beast that isn’t stopped by pain or injury. As he wanders the mysterious woods, injured and without food, he comes across something more – a mysterious hunter as well as two creatures of power beyond his understanding. Lan is, eventually, gifted with powers that help him fight off the strange animals.

Meanwhile, Sophie notices his absence, but with most of the forces out to try and pursue the sorcerer Darius, there’s no one to look for him. Thus, she and the Prince set out to the woods, to be waylaid by an unnatural storm and other strange occurrences.

Sophie is also forced to use her power – and the necessity helps her with a breakthrough. She and the prince eventually encounter Lan and, together, they defeat one of the mysterious beasts. Land sends Sophie and the prince ahead with the head of the creature to warn the others, while he goes on a slight detour to understand his power.

Once Lan returns to the town, things change for the worse – the dark power is manifesting, and the Raven Queen – who uses her power to protect the town – is absent. As is still a major part of the army. It’s up to Sophie, one of her teachers, and Lan to protect the town against several of those strange beasts, as well as two close people who had been turned.

The book ends in a minor victory as the town is saved, but it’s clear that something worse is coming, soon. The years of calm are gone…

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Read date: 23.7. – 9.8.2023
Published: 21. 2. 2023
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,51/4,5
My rating: 85%
Length: 448 pages
My highlights

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Without going to potential spoilers, the mysterious beasts reminded me quite a lot about the previous series I’ve read from D.K. Holmberg, the Teralin sword series, where a beast was attuned to a mysterious power and their affiliation could be changed by exposing them to positive or negative energy.

The early part of the book also seemed quite slow, but then it turned into a quick read – the pacing is well-done.