In book two Ilea Storm wants to forget about the Taleen dwarven dungeon and move onto something new. I honestly didn't enjoy anything about this book and I'm surprised I finished it. I don't consider myself overly PC or sensitive to many topics, but I'll just say that I found a particular sexual interaction pretty gross, especially when I imagine how it would be with the genders reversed. There's also a scene I found pretty gross around the midpoint that made me dislike Ilea even more. I ended up skimming liberally during the 2nd half of the story. There wasn't any tension in any of the action scenes since all the stats don't mean much. This made for a pretty boring experience in my opinion, especially since the plot of this book felt like side story material. She genuinely interacts with other characters in one of three ways: wants to have sex with them, wants to fight them, or doesn't care about them and thinks about her next meal. I still dislike Ilea and probably like her even less now if that's possible. So my generosity with the first book isn't happening with this one. Characterization has more chance to take the stage in a second book as well. I'm usually a bit generous when I rate Book 1 of a series since I expect and hope that certain things improve a bit. Even their Shadow’s Hand training will not prepare Ilea and her new team for what’s to come. Ilea jumps headfirst into her newfound challenge, unaware of the fresh dangers already beginning to stir throughout Elos. To take a breath after the non-stop elven attacks, dungeons, necromancers, and Taleen murder machines. This guild of high-level warriors is the perfect place to grow and recuperate. Because every ‘friendly yet bloody’ sparring match levels her resistances and makes her a little bit harder to kill. She is looking for a team to rely on, to punch, and get punched by. Having fought alongside members of the infamous mercenary order, she hopes to meet kindred spirits who share her completely reasonable passion for battle, adrenaline, and near-death experiences. Still haunted by her encounter with the Taleen Praetorians, Ilea makes her way south to join the Shadow’s Hand and hone her skills.

Azarinth healer book 2