#Review - Umbertouched by Livia Blackburne #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Rosemarked # 2
Format: E-Galley, 384 pages
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Historical

The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi-and himself-where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer's vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself-especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she'll define the life she has left.

Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way.

 

Umbertouched is the second installment in author Livia Blackburne's Rosemarked series. Umbertouched picks up about a month after the events of Rosemarked. With the stakes rising higher than ever as the characters prepare for an epic final battle, readers will want to stay up late turning the pages to get through this thrilling book.  The story rotates narratives between Dineas, a Shidadi warrior, and Zivah, a Dara healer who was infected with the Rose plague. 

Dineas and Zivah are on the run. They failed their mission to Shemar City and barely escaped with their lives. Dineas has been unmasked as a spy, and Zivah broke many of her promises as a healer while in the city working as both a healer and a spy. While Emperor Kiran is amassing an invasion force to steam roll over Dara and the Shidadi, Zivah is searching for a Rose Plague physician who may hold answers as to whether or not there is a cure for the rose plague. She is also struggling with her morality knowing that she might die at any moment.

While Zivah is struggling to find a cure that might extend her life, Dineas is struggling with memories of his past and deciding who he is now. His return to his people isn't all that welcoming, and there are those who see him as a traitor to the cause. Upon returning home, Zivah is asked to do something that goes against everything she stands for. In response, she takes it upon herself to look deep inside of herself and try to be who she wants to be. That also means healing enemy soldiers on the battle field as well as those who are protecting her homeland.

Blackburne deftly balances the protagonists' philosophical conflicts with sensitivity that is both sophisticated and heart-rending. The palpable tension between Zivah and Dineas throughout their will-they-won't-they romance will leave readers breathless. The characters are an eclectic mixture of good and bad, but nobody is purely good or bad, not when you add the human element and the desire for revenge into the mixture. 

A lot of reviewers point to Mehtap as one of the characters you shouldn't ignore. Mehtap who really put things into perspective in the first installment when she was willing to kill and not just stand by and wallow in self-pity. She, like Zivah, is Rosemarked. However, unlike Zivah, she grew up as a princess of sorts with wealth and privilege. Now that her life expediency is rapidly closing, she takes it upon herself to do things that go against everything her father stands for. 

It's fair to say the ending is a bit on the twisted side. It's fair to say that I don't see another book in this series future, but there are things that are left to the readers imagination. Especially when it comes to Zivah and her future, and her relationship with Dineas. I will agree on one point with my fellow readers, this is a slow paced story that is driven by the characters. War is hell, and the author doesn't waste any time trying to sugar coat, or gloss over it. That's why I rated this book with 4 Gizmos.

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