Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Having finished book one in The Levanthria Series a short time ago, I was excited to pick up A Sea of Sorrow and Scorn after the intriguing conclusion to A Forest of Vanity and Valour. Since the author's goal of this series is to do retellings of British folklore, I was eager to see how this one furthered the overall story that was established while also telling a new one.
What's the story about: A Sea of Sorrow and Scorn tells the next story of Levanthria from a differing groups of characters than the first book. This sequel follows two main characters: Zerina, a young woman who is on the run for possessing illegal magical abilities, and Ulrik, a sailor who must protect his young sister, Esara, after their mother is murdered for her magical powers.
Upon starting this second entry, I was eager to be introduced to new characters from the same world without delaying the story due to world-building or context. Rather than taking time to establish who and where these characters come from, we get background information quickly and immediate understanding what this second entry will be about: people on the run for being born a certain way and discovering a life they can live. While the way that this takes place is too fast for complete immersion, I've come to notice that this is just how this series operates. It's quick and the plot gets going right off the bat. Though, you get to understand the characters and their motivations pretty seamlessly, which I was surprised by. Zerina's character is incredibly interesting because she balances innocence and innocence lost throughout the book. I found the dynamic of her struggling with her newfound powers as gripping and real throughout. Ulrik on the other hand is more straightforward, but equally enjoyable to learn about.
This second entry is similar to the first in many ways. The plot is always moving and since the chapters are short, things are always taking place during each one. I found myself reading during breaks in my day because it was so easy to dive in and read a chapter or two. Before I knew it, I was halfway done with the book in less than a week of casual reading. Regardless of the faults, I have to hand it to Beswick for the easy way in which the book reads and doesn't require much mental effort to engage in the story. The way he writes and tells the story in this one, similar to the first, is very accessible and easy that you just speed through it without any grinding or toiling. One thing that I appreciated about this tale compared to the first is that there was more depth to the characters and their struggles seemed a little more realized than the first book. Some of the characters are caricatures, but for the most part, the two main characters have enough personality to make them more engageable than the main characters from A Forest of Vanity and Valour.
Honestly, I finished this book in a similar state to the first. It's not a bad book, but the books in this series aren't incredible in any particular category. Like the first book, dialogue is often clunky and unoriginal, grammatical errors plague every chapter constantly, and the fast progression makes character and plot developments go way too quickly than what is believable. These things are detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the story, but Beswick redeems these areas by having an interesting world and scenarios that are fascinating to read about. Comparing magic to drug use is thought-provoking, the way he handles folkloric retellings with a specific spin is fun, and overall I'm just drawn into the world that has the likes of Robin Hood, Black Beard, the fountain of youth, and the sword in the stone. Overall, I was most disappointed by the absence of one storyline that was teased at the end of the first book. I thought it would be included in some capacity, but unfortunately not.
★★★ 3 Stars - A Sea of Sorrow and Scorn is a fun and lighthearted sequel in The Levanthria Series. While the story is a new one, the world is the same and this familiarity provides a comfortable awareness to what goes on and what to expect. Beswick's writing is similar to the first book in that it's simple, easy to access, cliché in places, but will surprise you with poignancy at times. While I wouldn't say the writing improves significantly since the last book, it's good enough to warrant an enjoyable read. The world of Levanthria continues to grow and I'm still intrigued enough to continue reading entries in this series to see how everything develops.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★★* 1.5 Stars: I finished it, but it was a chore to get through.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads.