I have been waiting to read this for such a long time and I am so disappointed by it. I loved the first book (The Forever Sea) and I really wanted to see more of the characters and the world. The world in this series is one of my all time favourite fantasy sea setting - absolutely incredible.

There is an introduction of new characters from the start of this volume and I am just not caring about any of them. We also get a new setting in a city that didn't impress me (with this we get another fantastical aspect included - some sort of labyrinth with a magical creature). So this dragged the story so much for me...

I still want to try other books this author will write in the future, but this one was not really as captivating as the 1st volume.

A brilliant adventure unfolds in this original eco-fantasy YA.
Well drawn characters and a brilliantly developed innovative world combine to tell an engaging story of Flitch and Kindred in separate storylines that combine cleverly throughout the novel. A novel that explores love in a variety of guises, 'The Endless Song' presents a variety of lessons for its readers. Not afraid to expand young people's vocabularies, Johnson's prose sings with descriptions that enchant and bewilder. The water has left the sea but the communities living around it mine the sea for its vitality in much the same way that we do - a forewarning of what is happening in the world pushed into the realms of fantasy and a dystopic vision of greed and power grabbing.
Johnson's lessons are myriad but not didactic. His characters share the joys of small pleasures and the power of small, warm memories. Characters warn us of the destructive nature of greed and power but also alert us to the redemptive nature of love and family and remembering. Younger characters are guided by their elders but then go on to teach those same elders about a new way of looking at the world. This ageless tale breaks down barriers between the wise and the learner as well as the parent and their children.
At its heart it's a story about story. Framed by the storyteller and the unfurling of the adventure through narrative and memory, The Endless Song will stay with me for a very long time. I can already see it on my list of best reads for 2023 and can't wait to see where Johnson takes us next.