Death Marked

by Leah Cypess
Book 2 (final) of Death Sworn

My Thoughts:
I'm going by what I remember after finishing this book.  And to be totally honest, that was already months ago (two months ago?).  And even to present I still don't really have anything to say about this book and so what everyone gets is a summary blurb and a few sentences.

Because I honestly had no idea what was going on in this book at all.  I had thought that Ileni had already made a decision about her actions, but I guess she really hasn't.  So instead of the competent, kickass, yet powerless sorceress with resources and skills, we get a wishy-washy, indecisive, and STILL powerless (and now also weak and whiny) sorceress who has no idea what the heck she's doing.

Four months ago, I somehow managed to finish reading this book.  Four months into the present, I really have no recollection of what actually happened in this book aside from people dying for reasons and Ileni going back and forth about what she's supposed to do and where she stands.

It was kind of frustrating and I'm not entirely sure I know what she accomplished... or even what this book accomplished.

***

2016 Reading Challenges:
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• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge

I can't believe it ended like that!!! I was totally expecting a trilogy and BOOM! It ended. So Sad about it. Other than the ending though, I thought it worked out pretty well. I do think the romance could have had more substance. But that ending....No spoilers, but just saying... Watch out for it. :)

After reading and mostly liking Cypess’s Death Sworn last year, I definitely wanted to read the second book in the duology. Ileni has left the assassins’ cave and is now in the sorcerers’ power. But what she finds there will test her loyalty all over again. As with the first book, my reaction is mostly positive. I like Ileni quite a bit, and especially the way she’s shown to be powerful without being the awesomest everrr!!!! Her power does have limitations and a lot of the book is her grappling with the moral issues that her use of the sorcerers’ lodestones brings up. At the same time, I felt that the romance subplot never worked for me, even less than it did in the first book. And I found the conclusion more than a bit abrupt and not entirely convincing. All in all, this is one I perhaps wanted to like more than I did, although I suspect that some readers will love it.

Book source: eARC from Edelweiss
Book information: 2015, Greenwillow Books; YA fantasy

       Arc provided by Harper Collins Children through Edelweiss

      Release Date: March 3rd

I am just going to come out and say this, a little like pulling a band aid, fast and clean:

I did not enjoy reading this story, and since I am not a fifteen year old girl, no, that reason doesn't have anything to do with what ends up happening in the end (don't worry, no one dies..at least no one that relevant to the story).

The main reason that made me at numerous times consider to DNF this, has something to do that, once again the world building is practically non existent. But this time on a bigger scale. Because if in the first volume, the story took place inside some caves, now Ileni has been captured by the Empire..and I was thinking big, you know?

But no such luck.

Death Sworn ends, and three days later, Death Marked starts....for me this feels lazy.

Once again too much tell, not enough show..

The story starts with Ileni being held captive by the Empire ( a very small Empire who only has a Jack /Jane of all trades to all important leading roles in the story..very disappointing), and then being conveniently contacted by Sorin...though you'll have to hold on until the last pages to figure out this apparently whimsical activity, as well as many, many others.

I am sorry to say this, but this time Ileni is severely lacking in all the things that made her praise worthy in the first book, and if on one hand, I could be led into believing that what she goes through is believable due to her age: the indecision, the not knowing in whom to trust, on the other, no one wants to read the story of someone who is constantly considering changing sides.

 As a consequence she sounds weak and pathetic.

Thing is, for about 85 or even 90 percent of this narrative, I would give this a one star/one and half star rating:

This was just boring with apparent tstl actions and characters. It really was too much to ask of its readers to keep reading something so basic and undeveloped.

However, the last part reveals part of the motives behind what appeared to be tstl actions.

Also the way in which the author chooses to follow a "less travelled" road for the the way the story ends, could be seen from two different angles:

The innovative one, in the sense that the author pulls the rug under our feet, giving us instead a completely different story. One told on a definite smaller scale.

On the other hand, and having already read the author's other series, I am afraid that I am finding a pattern here:

When things get tough, the author seems to follows the less troublesome road, and that isn't good, because these are fantasy books, not coming of age realistic stories.

In fact I started this review with the intention of giving this _ grudgingly _ a 2.5 star rating, but now on second thought I can't help feeling that I was pulled a fast one.

Also, the romances in Leah Cypess's world continue to be treated in a severely lacking way. Especially in the latest instalments of both series, and although I am a big fan of the "boys with the bread" type of character, I was not a fan of what happened here. Or of what may happen..

Bottom Line: I cannot in good conscience recommend this book.

This doesn't have anything to do with HEA in the story's, it has to do with feeling that the characters made the effort...or not.

And the thing is, I read and enjoyed Death Sworn because of two characters not because of one, and Sorin never pretended to be something he wasn't...

I understand what the author tried to do. She tried to create layers and more layers to the story, but not having enough world building to support them, by not being able of creating strong relationships between the characters _ what happens in the end is another proof _, and having girl on girl hate, made it impossible for me to enjoy this. 

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Everything is too basic and simplistic!

There's almost no logic whatsoever in any of this, and Ileni the main character has turned into a tstl character :/

I don't have time for this!