Format: Kindle, 265 pages
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Publisher: Rhiannon Frater
Source: Author
Genre: Dystopian / Fantasy
Though I’ve been exonerated through the Necromancer Trial, there are those who are convinced that I am a devil-woman who should be exiled, or worse, killed.
I’m trapped by the Laws of the Lost Texts. I can’t simply buy a ticket to the train and leave. I have to endure the Bridal Auction and hope my newfound friend, Quade, will be able to purchase my hand in marriage. If he fails his bid, I will be married off to one of the Crats. I’d rather be declared Unclaimed and condemned to a life of servitude to the community.
All the while, the secret necromancer lurks in the shadows threatening to upturn my life and expose my true nature.
To finally have control over my own life, I may have to take the ultimate risk and escape over the wall into the Deadlands.
The Accused Dead is the second installment in author Rhiannon Frater's The Hidden Necromancer series. The story picks up right where The Unblessed Dead left off. Having survived yet another test to determine whether or not she's a necromancer (thanks to the fact that her mother once saved the community from the so called Unblessed dead),
Protagonist Ilyse Nott is under the microscope by certain members of the Council of Crats who don't believe that she's innocent no matter how many tests she has to take to prove herself.
Now, things are about to get really twisted. Ilyse has turned 18, which means it's the day of her Bridal Auction. As a summary, Ilyse lives in a place called Atonement Settlement where they believe in the so called Lost Texts. Even though this series has been compared to the Handmaiden meets the Walking Dead, one could also compare the people of the story to Mormons, or even the Amish if you will. As I said, even though Ilyse has been found innocent of murder, and of being a necromancer, she's still ostracized by the community.
There are those who have chosen to do everything they can to make her life virtually impossible, including sabotaging her Bridal Auction, and forcing her to become one of the Unclaimed, or even going as far as putting her through yet another even harsher tests to see if she caves in and admits her guilt. Ilyse's only hope lies in the hands of Quade Reed. Quade is what's called an Undertaker; an Undertaker can sense zombies and can tell when they are around but can't control them like a necromancer.
Quade works for an organization called Chandry where they collect and train necromancers. Quade fully intends to bid on and win Ilyse's hand and marriage and get her the hell away from Atonement where she can be free of those who hate her. Surprising nobody, Ilyse's sister Carrie, and her brother Rennon are once again wonderfully supportive and attempt to ride to Ilyse's rescue when things seem their darkest. There's a hodge podge assortment of revelations, discoveries, betrayals, and surprising twists, including the introduction of a group who appear to be part of a rebellion.
Such an interesting and twisted ending. Wow, did not see that coming at all. I am definitely eager to read the third installment in this series as I am hoping to learn more about the Chantry, the world outside one of the most oppressive communities that you will read about. I feel for Ilyse in many ways. She has such a roller coaster of emotions and things happen to her that really made me want to jump into the story and put certain characters in their place. Alas, the final scene gives me hope that things will hopefully look up soon for both Ilyse and Quade.
No comments:
Post a Comment