It was just as satisfying this time around and I as quite enthralled by the Gods, the gems that bring out abilities in people, and the mysterious aeroclines that causes humans to lose their minds if they inhale it too much.
I hate to say this sequel fell a bit flatter for me than the first book in the series, The Gods Below. I had such high hopes for it with how much I loved the first book, but The War Beyond felt like it dragged and like the story/characters had lost the purpose they were so full of in the first book. Though the characters continued to have goals, it no longer felt like the story was really moving in a meaningful manner. Instead, they were on endless chases that never seemed to go anywhere, and the book felt longer than it really needed to be.
The greatest disappointment for me in The War Beyond was the fact that Thassir, my favourite character in the first book, seemed to lose all personality and in Hakara’s chapters he was just a presence in the background, solely there to cart Hakara around and little else. He was a mopey figure in every scene and I’m so sad he lost the vitality and spirit that made me love him so much.
However, it isn’t all negative. As previously stated, the world itself and all it entails are fascinating, and I enjoyed the moments where more information was provided, and it felt like the story was moving along as things were discovered. Though slow, the plot does move forward at times, and these were the moments that kept me reading.
I’m still looking forward to the third book in the series as I really hope it will pick back up the thread of the first one and draw me back into this story I started out loving. With any luck the pace will get back on track and there will be plenty of answers going forward. And honestly, the last bit of the book helped to make up for the moments that felt slow to me because the pace absolutely got back on track and the last few chapters were the kind of chaos that has you desperately turning the pages to find out what is coming next. This definitely gave me more hope going into the third book and has me very much looking forward to what might come next, especially with reveals that occurred and the way certain storylines were left at super pivotal moments. I will definitely be back for more!
