Day: April 3, 2020

Review: The Border (The Knight and the Necromancer #2) by A.H. Lee

Story picked up right where the first book ended and took off like a rocket. Loved it!

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 167 pages. Published March 23rd 2020

Blurb:                                     

Roland thought necromancers were inhuman monsters. Until he met Sairis.

Roland and Sairis have escaped from a traumatic assassination attempt, solved the mystery of their attacker, and enjoyed plenty of heavy petting along the way. Roland knows that it’s too soon for love, but he feels like he’s falling head over heels.

However, in the final moments when their attacker is revealed, Sairis does something unthinkable. He transfers a brutal spell to Roland, nearly killing him, and disappears.

Roland is left reeling, struggling to cope with his injuries, and wondering whether everything Sairis said and did was a lie. Did Sairis seduce Roland only to use him as a hostage? And if not, what has happened to Sairis? 

Likes:

  • Story picked up right after where the first book left off.
  • Political intrigue.
  • Change of location.
  • Mystery.
  • The characters.
  • The romance.
  • New allies.
  • Backstory that filled in some of the pieces.
  • Inclusion of other LGBTQ+ characters.

Dislikes:

  • I was genuinely worried about Sairis’s wellbeing at one point.
  • The plot slows down in a few places.

This book flows directly from the first book with no time lapse or need for repetition. That was great, especially since all three books were published at the same time. The plot sped along right from the start, introducing new political machinations and new characters.

I was genuinely worried whether Sairis would be physically harmed at one point. The story could have gone very dark. Luckily, it didn’t. I’m not used to being worried about the health and safety of main characters in a romance, so it threw me for a loop, but it fit with the story.

New characters and allies are introduces, and other characters move to the forefront. I enjoyed that there were other nonconforming and LGBTQ+ characters. I also enjoyed how well everyone was interconnected.

We got backstory that filled in a lot of pieces. It slowed the pace a little, but I do think the information was necessary. And the pace picked up again soon enough.

The main characters were still great. They have a lot more push and pull in this book. Their attraction is stronger but so are the forces that are trying to pull them apart. I appreciated that their relationship is still very much in flux.

The way the characters are travelling in this story is nice. The plot is literally moving along as they head towards the final battlefield. There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding who is trying to pull what strings. It adds tension and drama.

Overall, I am very happy with this book. Everything about it makes me want to keep reading. I am looking forward to the ending with high hopes and anticipation.