The formatting of this book didn’t work so I cannot review it unfortunately. I’ve given a neutral rating in this case.

Having not read the first book, I was a little lost for a while. However, a quick look at the plot online meant I could delve right into this enjoyable read.

I called it last year when I read the first book, ‘Ariadnis’. It went straight to the top of my Best of 2017 list and stayed there. All year.

So hello 2018 and by gum he’s done it again. ‘Anassa’ is a gorgeous sequel that makes “second book syndrome” look like a long-forgotten nightmare. Because this is the sequel to end all sequels. The follw-up to squasg all follow-ups.

Ok, ok. I’m being dramatic.

But you get my point, yeah?

JUST A FEW THINGS I LOVED ABOUT ‘ANASSA’:
– The focus shifted from Joomia and Aula, settling on Etain and Taurus instead. And this alone made me such a happy little bookworm because I can’t tell you how much I adore Taurus. He’s a real standout character for so many reasons.
– The world grows and grows. Literally. Meeting characters from other regions, mostly Sol, was a lot of fun. Sol is one of those cheeky, quick-witted characters that has a real impact on the the other characters, as well as the plot.
– Can we just talk about gender for a moment? Because ‘Anassa’ explores gender and sexuality in a beautiful and interesting way. Especially when you start to meet people from a different island dwelling. How their way of life is much more patriarchal and “traditional” in its attitudes towards gender roles. Whereas the people we meet in ‘Ariadnis’ are much more fluid and relaxed in terms of what gender can mean. And I LOVE THAT.
– There’s a stronger sense of the “before” this time around. Again, the addition of “outsiders” or “invaders” makes it a harsher reflection on the history and the lore of the current world. I really like the idea of the world literally resetting itself due to some great and catastrophic event. We’re about due, right?
– Nine. I don’t want to give too much away, but Joomia and Aula’s combined character of ‘Nine’ is still an integral part of the story. She made me think more deeply about identity and divided cultures as a whole. There is a lot of lost and found in this book and I think that resonates very strongly with a lot of people (I mean, I know it did for me).

THE STORY IS SO INTRICATELY WOVEN. LIKE A SPIDERS WEB, IT CAUGHT ME IN ITS SILKEN WORDS. I WAS TRAPPED FROM START TO FINISH.

This book follows on from Ariadnis after the destruction of the two cities Metis and Athenas. Etain and Taurus are struggling with their respective roles and responsibilities. Aula and Joomia have become one person called Nine and the Metisians and Athenasians still hate each other.

I get the message of the book I really do and it is a good message about not letting cultural differences divide us, to take care of the planet and not destroy it in a quest for more power. This book is attempting to show the consequences of modern society and fundamental flaws in human nature but I feel that this message is constantly being bashed over my head on every page. The themes within this story has often felt very biblical to me, the great wave and the island etc. Not that this is a bad thing but this kind of story telling does not appeal to me.

Anassa has some good points, it has diverse characters that are integrated seamlessly (and by this I mean the characters are who they are and their sexuality etc is not a defining factor) and realistic messy relationships and I think some people will love it. I however found it very difficult to get through even more so than the first book.

*I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own*

Let's kick this off with a bit of a content warning. If you cannot cope with descriptions of large numbers of insects and arachnids then definitely give this book a miss. Well, maybe buy it for a friend and then get them to tell you what happens. I say this because I have such a terrible fear of swarms (of anything, the jellyfish scene in Finding Nemo even freaks me out) and even though I persevered for the sake of the story I had a couple of sleepless nights. That said, it is definitely worth it for the sake of this story.

I'll confess, I had only a vague recollection of the ending of Ariadnis (I read it back in June 2017 after all!) which meant I had to quickly catch myself back up on events in the first fifty pages or so. I'd say this is done pretty well. It's always a tricky thing to do in a second novel as you need to set the scene but there's also the need to get right on with the action.

This book is certainly action-packed. From one moment to the next there is always something going on, some new character whose point of view the book follows and new dangers they are facing. The pacing of this book was ideal, there was the perfect number of lulls just to let you catch your breath and get things sorted in your mind.

These characters, they are just a wonderful mix of different personalities. I identified most with Taurus, his struggles with feeling like he had no purpose - as a fairly recent graduate I could definitely feel that displaced emotion coming through. But the other characters such as our struggling leader Etain are all wonderful as well. What I appreciated is that, while there is a wider narrative going on, with world-changing revelations abounding, each character has their own personal story happening alongside that narrative. It's skilfully done, so the larger and smaller stories connect and never feel as though they are in opposition.

There is trans representation in this book which, from the author's acknowledgments, appears to have been well researched and personally felt like a good representation of being trans in a fantasy setting. Obviously, I am a cisgender person so please feel free to call me out if you feel otherwise and I'm happy to remember that I'm coming at this from a huge position of privilege.

What stopped me from giving this book five stars? I think it's because at points things happen that don't get explained for quite some time. While there aren't loose ends left over they do dangle for a while and I had to do some rereading of pages to make sure I hadn't, in fact, missed something.

Should you read this? If you liked Ariadnis I would say this is a strong continuation of the story. I don't know if there are plans to write more titles in this series, I shall have to keep an eye out!

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.