Title: Etania's Calling
Series: Daughters of Tamnarae (Book 2)
Author: M. H. Elrich
Genre: YA Fantasy, Christian Fantasy
Rating: 4/5 stars
FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
Overview: This is the second book in the Daughters of Tamnarae series. It’s set six months after the first book, and the events flow naturally from the ending of that one. War is brewing across Tamnarae, and the story follows Etania, Keyel, and old friends and new faces as they learn to trust one another and—most importantly—trust Melchizedek.
Characters: Etania and Keyel both have a lot of growing to do over the course of the book. They’re still relatively new to this whole courtship thing, and their relationship gets a bit rocky. Honestly, they were both rather annoying at times. Keyel has some serious trust issues that make him behave rather foolishly at times, and Etania whines too much. But they do grow, and their issues lead to great discussions on trust and forgiveness.
My favorite character was a new addition: Prince Zaden. He’s your typical charming bad boy, but he’s conflicted about his actions and, deep down, he longs to change. He was a most intriguing character, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him as the series progresses.
Content: There are a few undetailed kisses. A character has had intimate relations with women in his past; one woman shares this with another character (with no details). Said character’s introduction involves him leaving a woman’s tent in the morning. The same character flirts with a woman who’s already being courted and kisses her twice.
There are a few battles, with people being killed, burned, and otherwise injured. Nothing is graphic.
Two characters allow themselves to become possessed by a demon, who grants them supernatural power and communicates with them telepathically.
Writing: The writing style is a bit removed from the action, making it sometimes hard to connect with the characters. There are a few grammatical/mechanical errors, but they don’t detract from the story. The pacing is slow at first, but it picks up about halfway through, concluding with a satisfying ending that leads well into the next book of the series.
Summary: This was a good continuation of the series, giving us another fun journey with the characters we met in the first book. While some of the characters were aggravating at times, the theme of trust and forgiveness is a strong one, and the ending leaves us eager for the next book. I’d recommend this to fantasy fans aged 14+.
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