Promises Forged (Venators #2)

It has been mere days in the world of Eon, where Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and their friend Grey have been trapped, fighting for their lives. After discovering the truth of their ancestry, the three are far from home, and far from anything resembling their mundane lives of the past.While Ryker is still held captive by the eerily beautiful Zio and her goblins, Grey falls into the clutches of Feena, the Fae queen. She begins to drain his soul bit by bit to feed her dark underground garden, and Grey has no hope of escaping on his own.

It is now up to Rune to save Grey, as his precious time slips away inexorably. But the Council has denied her permission to embark on a rescue mission, until she can harness her Venator gifts and prove herself capable of venturing into the Fae queen's territory. As Rune discovers that promises in Eon are forged with life-or-death consequences, she realizes that she must act quickly, or else be swallowed and Grey along with her by the dangers of Eon.

Rating:

Many thanks to TheWriteReads and Devri Walls for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and for inclusion on this blog tour.

I participated in the blog tour by TheWriteReads for the first book in this series, Magic Unleashed, and I enjoyed that, so of course I jumped on the chance to read the second book.

Promises Forged does a fantastic job of summing up the first one and then dialing those stakes up to 10,000 and doubling down on the action. Once I started, I read all 480 pages in less than 12 hours, and then I shook my Kindle furiously, hoping more words would fall out.

Spoiler alert: they did not. Imagine my disappointment. I’m not sure what’s going on with second books recently, but maybe the Second Book Slump Monster has finally been slayed, once and for all? That could just be wishful thinking, but still. While I enjoyed the first book, I loved this book, and I absolutely cannot wait for the third one.

This review may contain spoilers for Magic Unleashed.

Right off the bat, I just want to remind everyone that I totally called dibs on Beltran. Fight me.

Except don’t, because I like y’all, but I also like stabby things, and I would feel bad for poking you with them, even if you totally had it coming for challenging my claim. Beltran was definitely a fan favorite of the first book, so I’m not naive to my competition, and it’s really no mystery why. He’s guarded and cunning and suave, and this book really doubles down on that.

Beltran feels like a mystery to be solved in these books, and slowly, we find out more and more about him and his past, and he plays a much bigger role in this book.

He’s clearly scheming and planning something, and I find that oddly attractive. Maybe I’m broken, but I’m very much enjoying it. He seems confused about his own actions, which is interesting, but I really just enjoyed the little glimpses of his past. Also the banter. Beltran is the best at the banter.

Once the action gets going, it doesn’t stop, and it was really easy to get caught up in it.

This was a whirlwind of a read. Phew. And not the aggressive, sharp kind that may chop off limbs (read the book … you’ll get it). Since the world and characters are already established, Walls was able to dive right into the meat of it, and boy does she.

There’s a lot more delving into the world here, the culture, and all the dangers those entail, and it was fun getting a better perspective of the world here.

Part of that is definitely through the action and learning just what some characters are able to do and their powers. Some of that is through the research Rune and Gray do. All of it was absolutely fascinating, though. In a mildly terrifying way.

And the ending that all this action so masterfully culminated into? Well … that ending. To sum it up in a succinct, non-spoilery fashion: ominous.

Rune and Gray are really struggling to grow into their new roles, and I loved the discussion about how this world was changing them … and not always for the better.

If we’re honest, not even often for the better. This world kind of sucks, no offense. The people sucks. The hierarchy sucks. Normally, I’d be jumping at the chance to adventure into a stabby, murder-filled word, but here? Nah, I think I’d probably pass. It’s a little too stabby and murder-filled for my taste (which is a phrase I never imagined I’d ever utter).

Being Venators isn’t exactly the honor one might think it is, and Rune and Gray find themselves forced into uncomfortable situations that often butt up against their moral compass.

Especially Gray. What do you do when the thing that’s required for you to survive challenges everything that’s fundamental to who you are? It’s a real conundrum, morally and emotionally. I love how the characters have grown, but I especially love their realization of how it’s affecting them personally and coming to terms with what they’ll likely have to do in the future.

We get a deeper perspective of the antagonist, Zio, and while I can’t say I like her, I do find her extremely interesting.

Actually, there’s two antagonists in this, and both are interesting. Zio is the big one carried over from book one, but there’s also Feena, the Fae queen. The look into their perspectives and motives is fascinating. I do so love compelling villains, and I’m really curious to learn more about them.

All the characters in this book, in fact, get much more depth and backstory added, which I loved.

I mean, they were great in the first book, so peeling back the layers a little bit more? Fabulous. Tate especially. My heart just hurts, but also I’m totally rooting for him, because what sort of monster wouldn’t?! I didn’t connect to the characters as much in the first book, but here, they all felt much more real and well-rounded, and I look forward to what the next book reveals about them.

About Devri Walls

Devri Walls is a US and international bestselling author. Having released five novels to date, she specializes in all things fantasy and paranormal. She is best known for her uncanny world-building skills and her intricate storylines, and her ability to present this all in an easy-to-digest voice. Now gearing up for her first national release, Devri is excited to introduce her sixth novel, book one in the Venators series. She loves to engage with her loyal following through social media and online sessions she organizes for her readers. Devri lives in Meridian, Idaho with her husband and two kids. When not writing she can be found teaching voice lessons, reading, cooking or binge watching whatever show catches her fancy.

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