reviewsbyerin

Sometimes I enjoy reading something different, and Morgan L. Busse caught my attention last year with her Ravenwood Saga fantasy series. In the first book, Mark of the Raven, we learned Lady Selene comes from a family of dreamwalkers, meaning she can enter and influence the dreams of others. She's shocked to find out that for generations her family has used this to actually become dreamkillers, and she must decide whether or not to carry on in their footsteps.

I don't want to say too much about this book because the first one ended with such a surprise, but Selene is taking refuge in Nor Esen and desires to learn about the mysterious Light that the people there follow. Lord Damien believes all gifts come from the Light, and Selene desires nothing more than to search this out and find the true purpose of her own gift, not the perverted reasoning of her ancestors.

Just like the first book, the best part of this one was the way the Light drew Selene. Damien explains it so well: "We were given the gift of the waters... it's how I worship the Light. What he gave me I give back to him." Yes! That's how I feel when I use my own God-given gifts. He also has this encouragement: "Following the Light does not mean there is no darkness. Rather, it means there is light in the darkness, even if it is only a single flame. I've never been alone. The one who made me and gave me my power has always been with me."

Overall, this was an excellent sequel - I actually felt it was better than the first book! - with strong character journeys, and I cant wait for the third story to wrap things up next February. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy or wants to check out something outside their normal reading comfort zone.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.