Review: These Divided Shores (Stream Raiders #2) by Sara Raasch
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Series: Stream Raiders #2
Author: Sara Raasch
Published August 27th 2019 by Balzer + Bray
Goodreads Synopsis
The thrilling sequel to These Rebel Waves—full of deadly magic, double crosses, and a revolution—from Sara Raasch, the bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series.
As a child, she committed unforgivable acts to free Grace Loray from King Elazar of Argrid. Now Elazar’s plan to retake the island has surpassed Lu’s darkest fears: he’s holding her and his son, Ben, captive in an endlessly shifting prison, forcing them to make a weapon that will guarantee Elazar’s success. Escape is impossible—unless Lu becomes the ruthless soldier she hoped never to be again.
Vex failed to save Lu and Ben—and that torments him as much as his Shaking Sickness. With the disease worsening, Vex throws himself into the rebellion against Argrid. The remaining free armies are allied with the stream raider syndicates—and getting them to cooperate will take a strength Vex thought burned on a pyre six years ago.
Imprisoned, betrayed, and heartbroken, Ben is determined to end his father’s rampage. Watching Elazar sway the minds of Grace Loray as he did those of Argrid, Ben knows he has to play his father’s game of devotion to win this war. But how can a heretic prince defeat the Pious God?
As armies clash and magic rises, Lu, Vex, and Ben will confront their pasts . . . or lose their futures forever.
Goodreads
Review
All of Sara's books have been favourites of mine, and I was desperate to read These Divided Shores as soon as I had finished book 1, These Rebel Waves. Now that Lu and Ben have been captured, and Vex is ill and thinks they are dead, will our heroes be able to save the day? It seems as if Elazar is completely in control, and the power he has over the minds of those on the island can only be fought by Lu and Ben, who, unwittingly, are the reason Elazar has the power that he has. They have to stage a daring escape, but to do so, have to turn into their worse selves, who they have tried beyond everything to overcome. Once they are all reunited, that's when the main action happens, and all of the political intrigue and mystery that was alluded to in the previous books comes to a head now. Vex, with his Shaking Sickness causing him to consider his own mortality, is throwing himself into everything, before it is too late, and trying to atone for his presumed past sins. Ben, being considered a heretical prince, has become somewhat of a beacon of hope for those opposed to Elazar, and is trying to repair his relationship with cousin, Vex. And then we have Lu, who is coming to terms with her magic abilities, and the betrayal of her father which caused her all of the hardship she's faced in her life. By working together, they are the only hope that Grace Loray has, but are they enough?
I adored this book! The plot was riveting from the get go, and I was reluctant to put it down for anything, but real life meant I had to. The different points of view helped us to tie together all of the parallel story lines, and this helped us to understand the characters a little more than we may have done. Each of the characters grows, and develops so much over the course of this duology, and we really see that in this book. If we were to compare the three main characters - Lu, Vex, Ben - to how they were in the start of TRW, they would be unrecognisable, and I love that their growth has been natural, and felt real. We have seen what they have faced, and how they have reacted to it, and also, how they depended on one another, and stopped being so isolated. This series is really a case of found family, and that's just fantastic! Yes, there is romance in this book, and I ship Lu and Vex so much, but it's really not a big part of the series, and I like that it's not all encompassing, and takes away from the fantastic plot or the action. Anything I could've wished from this book was there, and I'm hoping I adore Sara's next literary venture as much as I have her previous ones.
Dates Read:
September 19-23, 2019Rating
5 Stars
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