Heather’s Bookshelf: The Sigils of the Moor
Author: Brendan Corbett
Released: 04/10/24
Genre: YA Fantasy
“Time can warp perception and belief. In the absence of knowledge, imagination will create its own version of truth. It is part of why we must educate, lest we forget the mistakes of the past and repeat them today. Further, I am sure you have seen in your travels that not all hearts are pure and many prefer acts of corruption over honor.”
“The Sigils of the Moor” Book 2 of the Runetree Chronicles. This review will be done as a standalone. If you’d like to read a review of book 1, check it out here. Don’t read ahead if you don’t want spoilers regarding the first book.
Book 2 finds Aeda continuing on her journey. She's still in search of the reason and culprit behind the disappearance of the historians. Following Gieral across the Known Lands, she encounters many challenges and dangers that threaten both her and those around her.
Interesting circumstances lead to Aeda “adopting” a saiga as a steed companion. They travel to the Bog, a magical elven land full of challenging environments. While there, Aeda and Gieral face a dilemma of whether to stick to their historian duties or to help those around them.
Will Aeda and Gieral find the culprit behind the missing Historians? Or will they fall before they learn the truth?
Trigger Warning: violence, death, murder, arson
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story is told through the POV of Aeda, determined, strong-willed, but insecure and headstrong. Aeda is funny in a sarcastic way and suspicious of basically everything that crosses her path. Her mistrust of authority (whether rightly-so or not) causes multiple areas of contention between her and Gieral. As her mentor, Gieral does her best to teach her pupil, keeping her grounded but also allowing her to stretch her wings. I was happy to see Gieral gain some depth in this story, maintaining her wisdom, amplifying her toughness, and deepening her caring (for both her profession and Aeda). The pacing of the story is well done with several battle scenes interspersed throughout character development and world building. This book did an especially nice job in establishing and exploring new environments in a way that didn’t drag along in redundant details. Unfortunately, I wasn’t completely sure why they were visiting the places they did and found this to be especially true in the scene with the saigas. There were also several ancillary characters that added to this tale by providing a bridge between Aeda and the new environments. Unfortunately most of them were not in the story long enough to make a meaningful or emotion impact for the reader. The fantasy aspects also grew and added to the world building. Without giving anything away, the ending leaves an impact. It feels complete while clearly setting up for a future story via the epilogue.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A YA Fantasy follows a strong protagonist through new world building at a good pace. A lack of connection to ancillary characters and unclear direction hinder an otherwise enjoyable sequel.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Brendan Corbett
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
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