Great Book, altho it is hard to read about the children being tortured over and over. Couldn't wait for the children being help captive and tortured by the sadistic Somiss to escape or get even, but didn't realize the book was continued :( ( )

Lady Wombat says:

** Spoiler Alert **

I liked the first book in the series immensely, but found this one less compelling. The first half of the Sadima story seemed just like more of the same from book 1 (come on Franklin, enough already!); similarly, the Hahp portion of the narrative seemed to be just a continuation of the same sadistic teachings the boys received at the hands of the wizards in book 1. It felt almost masochistic to keep reading these scenes.

Only at the very end of this section, when the boys start to tentatively come together, does it feel as if things are moving beyond where we left them in book one. I'm deeply intrigued by Duey's exploration of different types of social organization, and wonder if the series will conclude by endorsing one, or will leave us feeling that all social groupings have major drawbacks. And I'm deeply disturbed by where the book left the boys at the wizard school, particularly when their actions seem so much at odds with the actions of Sadima's community to help her avoid capture. Can't wait until the third book comes out to see how Duey resolves (or fails to resolve) these disturbing issues.