REVIEW: The Nameless Land: The Witch Roads, Book II by Kate Elliott
Surprising betrayals, surprising alliances, and surprising discoveries of heritage abound in this energetic sequel to The Witch Roads.
When the royal party finds themselves in a land they never believed they could access, it will take all of Prince Gevulin’s (admittedly impressive) diplomatic skills to forge a coalition with an unlikely group of would-be allies.
Meanwhile, as Elin mourns her lost love, an unwelcome visit to the land of her birth brings back the traumatic memories of the childhood she shared with her sister.
And a surprise visit from an unwelcome family member threatens to derail the plans of multiple opposing factions.
Loyalty cannot be demanded, only won
Dear Ms. Elliott,
I sucked down this lengthy book in 2.5 days and just like the first one in the series, “The Witch Roads,” by the end I was glued to the page and madly pressing the ‘next’ button on my ereader. How was it going to end and who was going to survive? I just had to know.
I will warn people that you positively, absolutely Must read the first book as these are more like one large book that has been chopped in two. “The Nameless Land” picks up right where “Witch Roads” ended. This is a complicated world with the world building to go with it. It’s also got a plethora of characters some of whom will not be seen again for a few hundred pages.
You do readers the complement of not constantly repeating who is who and what is going on. There will be little refreshers along the way, though, but you don’t inundate us with reminders in each and every chapter.
The same messy politics pervade the book but with more added danger. As if there wasn’t enough in book one. Elen and her nephew Kem are in the hands of a Prince who wants and needs to foment a takeover of the Empire. Life in the Flower Court (which isn’t nearly as nice as the title makes it sound) is a snake pit and Emperors and heirs have been toppled before. Everyone jealously guards their status in this world, with the powerful able to order anything and the lower status having no choice but to obey. Oh, and the world is threatened by a horrible invasive spoor that can painfully kill in an instant.
El has a secret though, one she’s hidden for her whole life and which, if it’s discovered, could condemn her to be burned to death. Unfortunately for her, the Prince now knows it and will use it, along with her desperation to protect her nephew from falling back into the hands of his despotic father who doesn’t accept Kem’s view of himself, to force El to go along with his plans .
To escape from forces sent to capture – and probably kill – them, they, along with some wardens, will have to head to the one place El never wanted to see again. But that’s not all as hidden agendas come into play forcing the Prince to turn his efforts on a dime to attempt to save himself and, since they are acting under his orders, those with him as well. Just when it appears that they’ve pulled it off, the final move in this deadly chess game is played.
Yes, there is also a grimsweet romance in the book, one that appears as doomed and bittersweet as it did in the first book. Or is it? And while I said that the first book didn’t really have much found family, this time it does and El is a part of that family with a new friend who respects and trusts her as well as wardens who appreciate her skills and talents. Everything is saying that this is a duology but honestly I’d love to spend more time with these characters and in this world and as there are some loose ends, may I plead for a book three? B
~Jayne
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I must get on to this series!
@Kaetrin: I enjoyed it but will repeat that in the first book, be prepared for a lot of world building and character introduction at the beginning.