I kind of thought that as I read this book. I mean, really, it's been like eight months since I read the last one. Still, I didn't find it too hard to pick things up and remember some key details. Besides, unfortunately I no longer have the first one in my possession since I was borrowing it from someone.
Alright, then. Down to business!
Title: Sheer Power: Second Chances
Rating: 3/5
Author: Vye Brante
Pages: 327
Genre: Young Adult/Action & Adventure
Synopsis:
Things have gone relatively back to normal after the final events of Sheer Power: Crossing Paths. Juto has gone back to training his somewhat arrogant and stubborn student, Kimiten, while Seisho continues helping out around the house.
Tensions begin to rise as Kimiten becomes jealous of Seisho and starts putting pressure on Juto to fire his "maid." To make matters worse, that spark of rebellion is nowhere close to being extinguished. Before long they are once again wrapped up with powerful energy users who will do anything to bring more people to their cause, and it turns out that they have a more powerful weapon than anyone could have imagined.
The fight against Yorik Moya and his thugs is only just beginning.
My Reaction:
I had quite a few observations and random thoughts about this book. I'll try to stick to the key ones. That being said, I should perhaps mention that I started going off about different random things I thought about while reading before I deleted the whole paragraph because I deemed it unessential. Ha!
There are some elements that I think are good, strong points in this story. I particularly liked the wrap up (and no, it's not because the book was over...). We finally got to learn more about a particular point in Seisho's past that is really key to his character and was well presented. On the other hand, there was one aspect that I thought had good potential but then let me down a little bit in the end. I don't want to give anything away, but there was something in particular towards the beginning that there was some focus on, and if I recall correctly, it was one of the mysteries I wanted answered from the first book. It seemed like it was going to be more complex than it actually turned out being. Maybe that's mostly because I had an idea of where it should go, so I set myself up for disappointment (like all those people making theories for The Last Jedi only to be disappointed that all of their theories were wrong).
I believe I said something similar last time, but it's clear that Brante has a clear understanding of her world and how energy use works. She explains elements and rules of energy use and sticks to those faithfully. She did well at tying things together. Many things mentioned towards the beginning of the story came back into play towards the end.
There were some things that were more cleaned up as far as the writing itself, and I looked passed many small grammatical errors since this copy was a proof. However, I do think there are a few style things that could be strengthened. There were a few moments that felt like they went on a little too long, and a bit of wordiness at times that made it feel a bit passive. However, if you can get passed that and focus on the story itself, there are some great elements of betrayal, mystery, and action that will appeal to some readers.
There is a third book planned, and I hope the newest mystery introduced will be explored further. I wouldn't mind getting more story involving Seisho's family also. I can't remembering if I'm forgetting certain details from the last book, but I'd like to know more about his family and their "mission," so to speak. Or, I would like to see more feedback from them. Seisho's so worried about their opinion, but mostly we've just seen his mom who is super supportive of everything he does (except for maybe his OCD when it comes to cleaning). We get a little bit of opposition from his sister, but I think it would be interesting to see that familial pressure on a larger scale.
I'm curious about where things will go from here, especially concerning a new character introduced in this book.
Reader Guidance:
The book is full of physical combat involving energy use. There's nothing super brutal or graphic in terms of the violence.
Similar Books:
I still got nothing. I thought more of cartoons and RPG's than books. I'm such a nerd.
Next Book:
I am extremely happy to announce that the next book up is Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood! This is going to be good. I can feel it in my bones! I loved Rump, and I've waited far too long to read this one.
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