ARC Review: Obsidian and Stars (Ivory and Bone #2) by Julie Eshbaugh
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Series: Ivory and Bone #2
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Published June 13th 2017 by HarperTeen
Goodreads Synopsis
In the sequel to Ivory and Bone—the prehistoric fantasy novel that New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman described as a “richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes”—the story shifts to Mya’s viewpoint as vengeful adversaries force her to flee the life she once knew.
After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.
Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.
With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Following the first book, Ivory and Bone, I knew I needed to get a hold of this book, and boy was I glad when a copy dropped through my letterbox from the publisher. Now that Mya and Kol are betrothed, and coming to terms with the attack by the neighbouring tribes, they think life is back on track. However, Chev, the new leader of their tribe, has announced that their youngest sister, Lees, is to marry Morsk, something that she really does not want. The only way to save Lees, is for Mya to marry Morsk instead, something she has absolutely no intention of doing. Rather than either of them being forced into a marriage they don't want, Mya and Lees run away to a secret island, hoping everything will soon blow over, and they will eventually be able to return, and marry those they love. Obviously, this would lead to a boring book, and Mya realises she's being followed, and has to use all her wits in order to save herself, and her sister.
I really did enjoy this book, but do think I preferred Ivory and Bone. Seeing as book 1 was a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I was bound to love that, and the way the prehistory was woven in, was fantastic. For Obsidian and Stars, however, the plot was a bit slow, in my opinion, as it had to pad out a story that probably would've taken less than half the pages to be completed. The plot, what was there, was really enjoyable, but like I said, it could've been much shorter - and, if I'm honest, there didn't really need to be a book 2.
Kol and Mya's romance, following the turbulence of Ivory and Bone, was extremely sweet, and because of that, that's the main reason I've rated the book so highly. I know it's been a while since I read the book, so maybe hindsight is making me reconsider my original feelings, but I ca't really remember all that much from the book, and what I can remember, was that any of the issues were mainly caused by the lack of communication, or bad choices made by the main characters. I've heard that this series was originally planned as a trilogy, but became a duology, and I'm glad, because I don't know if a book 3 would've added anything to the series, or instead, ruined the good work of book 1. Maybe this book fell into the sophomore slump you find of so many second books, I don't know, but I wish there was just something more to this!
Dates Read:
April 23-27, 2017Rating
4 Stars
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