“I’m sorry.”
“Why? It’s not your fault.”
“Ah, but it is. I’m in charge of keeping Ixia safe for all its citizens.”
“That’s impossible. My ma says there will always be sharks in the water. Nothing you can do about it except be careful where you swim.”
“Your ma sounds like a smart lady.”  
  ― Valek ―

Welcome to another series! Yep, more series in this blog hope you didn't get bored by it. This time i name it as Outshine the Previous because since i can't DNF a book (because my OCD made me have to finish what i've start), sometimes when i met a bad book, not that it's bad, just the one that i don't enjoy it much, i tent to struggle and keep myself from reading the next one, postpone it because i might not enjoy the next book as well. So, this series probably a "guide" for you for series that worth second chances because the next one just outshine the previous one, or if it turns out doesn't outshine the previous book you might skip the struggle by not continue the series at all. Again, if you have same taste like me, because obviously some might disagree with me.

I'll do some comparison why i like it better and obviously from the title you probably already know how i feel about this next book, which is better from the previous one in comparison. This series is unnecessarily only for the second book of the series, it could be the third, the fourth book of the series, but obviously not the first book since i will compare it with previous book (how can i compare first book if it's already first? which is none before it. Clear enough?) So without further ado, let's get into it already.

 

Previous Book

This book is the second in the series of Soulfinder, but it actually second book of the 3rd series from the Chronicles of Ixia, I've mention it before in my review for the previous book, so check out my review for that by clicking the picture below if you missed it.

 

 This series is the continuation Yelena and Valek adventure to keep peace between Ixia and Sitia. But of course it's not an easy thing to do.

 

Synopsis

So, in second book, the story start with Yelena back to Ixia with Valek after encounter with Owen Moon who tried to wipe her memory and failed. Being vulnerable because she has lost her magic, Valek and Yelena tried to track Owen who escape after that encounter with Yelena and Valek, turns out that Owen is going to Ixia. 

Back to Ixia, Valek return and report to the Commander about what happened but finding Commander is treating Owen as his guest and told Valek to don't try anything to do with Owen and his group, also remind Valek for not having a split loyalty between Yelena and Him, saying that if Yelena want to be in Ixia and since she has lost her magic ability, she have to cut ties with Sitia and if her power back she has to back to Sitia and cut ties with Ixia. 

Commander being strict to Valek after that which made Valek suspicious about the probability of commander being controlled by Owen Moon. Sending Valek to work on problem of thieves using storm in district MD-1, which is far away, and assign Onora as Commander's personal guard in behalf of the absence of Valek, Yelena decided to go along with Valek and leaving Ixia after encounter another attempt of murdering Valek and Yelena happened by Owen and his team in the castle.

Why Worth a Second Chance?

In this second book it also based on some POVs just like the previous book, but i find it not that dragging in comparison, i do feel a bit dragging in first few chapters, but other than that it doesn't really feel like different stories anymore but become completing each chapter with different POV. We can say probably the first book i wasn't really adapted to the story, but believe me when i say Maria V Snyder really did plotting a lot of stories in first book that become small puzzle that become make sense when you reach to this second book.

At first, like i said the first book mostly talking about Valek, about his story back when he was a child, how he become an assassin, which sometimes with that flashback, it's a bit hard to differentiate if it still the story that happening in the past or is it already moving to the presence. 

In this second book all the seed that Maria V Snyder has sown, began to form and grow, and all the stories, that small stories that i was questioning why she made it in the first place, begin to make sense and the puzzles begin to forms and connect to each other. 

Like i said in some other review, it's normal for an author to built the world and story in the first book of the series, that's how sometimes it become hard to digest and adapt to the story, so that's why the next book is somehow worth for you to give a second chance to see whether you really don't like the book, or just didn't use to the world building system and being adapted to the story yet.

 

Things that i don't get 

 Finding that Commander not only lying to Valek about Owen Moon that supposed to be dead because of executions, and smuggling currae that have effect to stop magician's power, but also discover that Commander is the one that assign Onora to shoot arrow to Yelena in the first place that made the next morning Yelena lost her magic ability, turns out that she's pregnant because the arrow was laced with starlight potions that made her be able to be pregnant. Back to Ixia after going to Sitia to rescue Yelena, Valek find Commander a bit different, no longer treat him as his advisor, but solely his soldier that has to do whatever the Commander command him to do and after "threatening" him to not having a divided loyalty by re-carve the C mark in his chest. 

 

“Valek no longer knew what to think, to believe, to do. He'd always known what action to take, but not now. Too much had happened. One thing stayed consistent. Yelena. He needed to protect her,to send her to safety,to ensure that she understood that his loyalties were no longer divided.”

After that event, Valek back to his room, finding Yelena and get on his knees, carving his C mark with another C that made the shape of heart and finally propose to Yelena.  WHAT A PROPOSE RIGHT???!!

But i kind of understand that scene because he swears his loyalty to Commander years ago with that C mark in his chest by Commander as the seal, now he turn that C into Heart to seal his love to Yelena, but what happened next is just mind blowing! Yelena respond with also carving the heart in her chest!! whaattt???

I was like... is that... uh... normal? that's a bit scary don't you think? but well, they are that kind of couple i think. I love the vow tho, and with that the are officially a wife and a husband. No church, no witness, BAM! Couple already. 

In Conclusion

I rate this book as Uh-Yeah! (read my rating system here if you don't get what it means) except that part that i don't get it, i guess this book is just an amazing book, how every pieces connect to each other (of course not all of it yet, but still a ray of bright light come to the story) and it is a book that worth to give a second chance, and it does outshine the previous book, so i encourage you to read this series! Well, it's not a big news anymore by now if you follow my blog post from the beginning that i love her works a lot, so yeah.. Go read them all!!

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