I adored Resenting the Hero, and was quite excited to see that a sequel had come out.
Since we last saw them, Mallorough and Karish have mostly resolved their differences and are quite fond of each other, in a "We're attracted, but it's still not a good idea to date" sort of way. (Those of you into that sort of relationship will be pleased. I am normally not, but it still worked for me, given the characters and the circumstances.) They're quite affectionate and loyal to each other now, and I was kvelling. God knows in this book, Karish is gonna need someone on his side...
Now that the main cause of the wacky weather in High Scape has been taken care of, you'd think things would be normal, right? Nope. Instead of having lots of impending disasters coming, now there's just unseasonably bad weather- freezing cold in summer, boiling heat, unexpected rains. And regular weather is something that Sources weren't taught how to control. Naturally, the town's residents expect the Triple S folks to solve the weather kookiness... and don't believe them when the Pairs say they don't know how to fix it. While Mallorough agrees reluctantly to stick to a "party line" about how "we're working on it" when they really aren't, in private she bugs Karish to do some experimentation with her. It doesn't go well.
Meanwhile, some serial killer is making off with various low-level aristocrats in High Scape. Even though Karish has refused his title and is now a common guy, Mallorough fears (rightly) that his "blue blood" might still count enough to make him a target for the killers. And when a member of a cult that thinks the bad weather can be cured by sacrificing aristocrats comes up to her demanding that she turn Karish over to be killed, Mallorough is even more worried.
And then there's Karish's godawful mother, who (despite the fact that Karish has refused the title, and COULD GET HIMSELF KILLED if he changed his mind about that) is INSISTENT that her most despised offspring should take the title of duke of Westsea, like it or not. Mallorough and her (visiting) mother think that she can't be all THAT bad, can she...? Surprise, surprise. Suffice it to say that part of the novel almost made me cry. What a change. How far we've come since Mallorough regarded him as the local Mr. Perfect...and now you find out what he had to go through in order to get there. Again, I was kvelling.
I enjoyed the surprise ending, even if the Big Scare towards the end isn't exactly paid off quite yet. I desperately hope another book will be coming out, because this series is damned good.
Comments