Arctic Dawn by Karissa Laurel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book two picks up with Solina recovering from becoming a shooting star and remaining on her own and trying to stay hidden in a town she believes linked to Skyla, her missing friend. Solina works with Nikka, a bar owner, and Joe, the part time security officer for Nikka’s bar. Everything seems to be going well until a stranger appears and seems singularly interested in her. She calls on the only person she thinks can help her, Thorin.
The search for Skyla drives Solina to do things that she never imagined herself doing. Her internal strength grows as her powers grow, and the need to be rescued diminishes. Relationships with the people Solina got to know as a result of Mani’s death, morph as everyone finds themselves faced with a variety of dangerous situations.
A budding romance becomes stronger through the perilous scenarios, and Solina isn’t the only one challenged to change what they have believed in, or known. Whether relationships survive is dependent on trust, something not given freely, and Solina finds difficult with some.
In the end, a heart-wrenching betrayal will threaten everything and bring the world into sharper focus for Solina. Once more, her world flips, and she must acclimate.
I loved this book more than the first one, and I feel like the first book was more of a setup to this one; which is unusual in the world of sequels. The threading of modernisms with old Norse mythology is superb. Once again, Karissa weaves both into a story which is worthy of becoming my favorite. Her descriptions, word use, and ability to draw a reader in are inspirational to me as a budding author. She makes me want to be a better writer. If for some reason you do not jive with the story being told, at least recognize her brilliant writing talent. It’s rare these days that I find an author who makes me look up words, but I had to do that a couple of times with Karissa. I love that.
Things you might enjoy: Loads of snark [top notch snark, in fact]; a female character who is strong, but has weaknesses and is relatable; betrayal; and a subtle and complicated romantic relationship which is still blossoming from the first book. There is also the cast of characters who all have their own strengths and weaknesses and who add so much to this world to make it feel like a far off reality into which you can escape.
I am looking so forward to the third book that I will be re-reading these shortly. There is no reason for me to do so, except that the awesomeness of these two + the novella about Mani [Moonlight Falling], demand it. I look forward to seeing things I may not have seen before and the pure enjoyment of a reread. I’m totally fan girl-ing over this series, and it’s a nice feeling. Aside from Mark Lawrence, Dan Simmons, F. Paul Wilson, and the amazing Kim Harrison, who are my absolute favorites, it’s rare for me to get so excited about an author.
All my fan-girling aside, I recommend taking everything with a grain of salt lest it ruin your own experience. Nothing sucks the life of a thing more than too much hype. That said, READ THIS, if you love mythology and urban fantasy, this is the series for you. 😉
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