Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is the second book in a fascinating YA Fantasy series. In this book, Janneke comes to grips with her new power as the mantle, making her an equal to Soren, who is now the Erlking. Her power comes with disturbing visions of the future, which sends Janneke and her companions on a dangerous journey to save the world.

Along with visions, Janneke’s tormentor Lydian taunts her despite being dead. She can hear him in her thoughts, and as the purpose of her visions becomes clear, she discovers she must work with him if she has any hope of saving the world. This strains everyone’s nerves, and puts Janneke’s relationship with Soren in danger.

I was hoping there would be more worldbuilding in this book, but there isn’t. That is disappointing. This book dealt with relationships more than action, although there is some action toward the middle and end of the book. Once again, the author provides a lot of Jannek’s inner dialogue. She’s a bit more confidant, but is still riddled with feelings of inadequacy, particularly with respect to her mantle abilities. This book seems a bit slower than the first book, but we do get more character interaction, which was fun to read. I liked getting to know the minor characters a bit more, and enjoyed reading about their relationships with each other, as well as the main characters.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.