(I received a free copy of this book from 47North Publishers, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Although this book was the second in a series, I still found it fairly easy to follow. I liked Phae’s character and it was interesting to see the information about the Dryads. I’m familiar with most of the legends, but this was quite a unique spin on it.
Although the characters had already been established, I found a lot of them easy to get behind. The use of the spirits was quite intriguing and I liked the relationship that Phae was forming with Shion. I felt his development came across as easy and natural, without seeming to develop just for the sake of it. But then, I always find villains turning good fascinating.
I did get a bit confused with the different groups of characters at times. I got a little mixed up at one point and mistook one group for another… so their interaction really confused me until I realised what was going on.
I didn’t really understand the motivation of the bad guy. I would have liked to know more about him. The good characters are easier to understand, though by the end of the book, I was left with some serious doubt about who could be trusted.
At some point, I do hope to read the other books in this series. I’m curious to see where the author takes the storyline and what will happen to the characters. Plus, now the groups have all joined together, it should be easier to follow the plot.
Ink of Blood 