Title: Song of the Dead
Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: January 22nd, 2019
416 pages
4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
The Dead must stay buried.
Karthia is nothing like it used to be. The kingdom’s borders are open for the first time in nearly three hundred years, and raising the dead has been outlawed. Odessa is determined to explore the world beyond Karthia’s waters, hoping to heal a heart broken in more ways than she can count. But with Meredy joining the ocean voyage, vanquishing her sorrow will be a difficult task.
Despite the daily reminder of the history they share, Odessa and Meredy are fascinated when their journey takes them to a land where the Dead rule the night and dragons roam the streets. Odessa can’t help being mesmerized by the new magic–and by the girl at her side. But just as she and Meredy are beginning to explore the new world, a terrifying development in Karthia summons them home at once.
Growing political unrest on top of threats from foreign invaders means Odessa and Meredy are thrust back into the lives they tried to leave behind while specters from their past haunt their tenuous relationship. Gathering a force big enough to ward off enemies seems impossible, until one of Queen Valoria’s mages creates a weapon that could make them invincible. As danger continues to mount inside the palace, Odessa fears that without the Dead, even the greatest invention won’t be enough to save their fates.
In this enthralling, heartrending sequel to Reign of the Fallen, Odessa faces the fight of her life as the boundaries between the Dead and the living are challenged in a way more gruesome than ever before.
Review
Song of the Dead follows quickly after Reign of the Fallen ends, with Odessa and Meredy off to have their adventures. A new threat to Karthia emerges however, that quickly calls them back home to help the new Queen Valoria. In the sequel and conclusion to Reign of the Fallen, magic is pushed to it’s limit and tested in completely new ways in order to save the kingdom… and everyone in it.
I have been putting this book off for a long time, not because I wasn’t excited for it or because I didn’t like Reign of the Fallen. It just kept falling to the wayside, but I am very glad I finally picked it up and can call this series completed. I enjoyed this conclusion book, however it did take me awhile to get through. I kept losing interest in the book and the plot, because this so much going on. The plot moves in a million directions without focusing on any one aspect or point for too long – which made for a very scattered book. There are so many pieces I would’ve loved to be developed further, but everything was very surface level with this book – especially with the magic.
I still love Odessa’s character. I think she gets a lot of hate from the first book, but I don’t necessarily think it is deserved. Her growth over the two books was very interesting to read. However, I was a lot less interested in the supporting cast than I was in the first few books. In addition to the cast already in place in Reign of the Fallen, several new characters were added – but again no one was given enough attention for them to continue growth or to have a story arc. It was again, very surface level – which was disappointing.
Overall, I love the concept, the world building, the magic. I wanted more of all of it. I didn’t dislike this book due to the meat of the story, but more the execution. I would continue to read more in this world if Sarah ever wrote more books in other countries that were developed. I just needed more from this second book to truly say I loved it.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 