As if it were weakness to share one's burdens with another. But I am with you now. I am yours, and I want you to lay your burdens down on me, Adaira. Hamish’s entire lower leg was mottled purple and blue, similar to the appearance of a fresh bruise. His veins were prominent and shimmered with gold. The discoloration seemed to be creeping up his leg and was on the cusp of claiming his knee. He had obviously hidden the ailment from his friends beneath his boot, and he must have been concealing it for a while, since it had spread so far. Half of me and half of you,” Sidra insisted. “Until they become their own person.” I can’t I’m literally obsessed with them 😭🫶🏻 Speaking of romance, I feel like that word truly encapsulates the entirety of the duology. Not just in terms of the relationships themselves, but regarding the setting, and the magic, and the writing itself. The tone of the narrative is intensely romantic. Reading this made my heart hurt, but in the best way possible. Something about the loveliness of Ross’s craftsmanship and creativity made me yearn. Book Genre: Adult, Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, High Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult

She let them all go because he was her home, her shelter. Her endless fire, burning through the dark. Like, I can't even tell you anything that is objectively wrong here, at all. Not very much of a useful review, in terms of y'all being like okay that is a helpful piece of information! More useful probably is that the consensus on this book is that it is a good ending to the duology. Many people whose opinions I trust on Goodreads have said it was bettera than A River Enchanted!Although I couldn’t be more pleased, Sid. To make a child with you. I hope the bairn has your eyes and your smile, your laughter and your courage. Your skills and your patience and your kindness. I hope our child inherits all of your traits and only a few of mine.” This isn't to say that I think love stories are immature; truly, I love love and prefer my stories to have at least a little romantic tension in them. My concern is this: When there are other concurrent plotlines, especially ones written to have major implications for the story, I find following the romantic plot instead misguided. In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind. She could call him whatever she felt like, because he was with her and that was all that mattered to him. He was breathing the same air as her, standing in the same moment with her. In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the lastrole she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.

Her gaze shifted to Hamish’s feet. His tanned-hide boots were tethered up to his knees while his friends were barefooted, as all isle children who swam in the sea were supposed to be. Her nan had once told her that most healers hold the gift of premonition, that she should always follow those feelings, no matter their oddity, and now she couldn’t explain the gooseflesh that suddenly rippled over her arms. She nearly reached for the boot tethers, but then stilled her hand and turned instead to the three boys who stood around her. Ross creates a magical story with lyrical prose that draws the reader into the tale and its setting. Recommend this series to fans of Jeffe Kennedy, Susanna Clarke, and Terry Brooks.” — Library Journal Ross creates a magical story with lyrical prose that draws the reader into the tale and its setting. Recommend this series to fans of Jeffe Kennedy, Susanna Clarke, and Terry Brooks." — Library Journal A confident, compelling conclusion to the Elements of Cadence series….will satisfy fantasy fans, romance lovers, and those who enjoy folklore-inspired tales.” — Paste MagazineVividly imagined . . . This will appeal to lovers of fantasy from Name of the Wind to the Earthsea series.” — Publishers Weekly on A River Enchanted Sand had gathered under her nails and between her fingers. She could feel it coating her teeth. “I’ll wait here with him.” House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch's Heart in Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.

The focus of this entire story is one of healing. Whether that is the healing of an individual’s physical body, the healing of romantic or familial relationships, the healing of the earth or the healing of a nation, every quest embarked upon is done with healing as treasure to be attained. I love how we see this in such a variety of ways in both the physical realm and the spiritual realm. And I still love so much how one of the ways healing comes here is through music. That resonates with me so strongly. There were certain scenes toward the end that made my heart ache, but in such a cathartic way. Ross wrapped up the story beautifully; there’s nothing I would change.

Featured Reviews

if you did not like the first book you probably wouldn’t like this one but i can admit it was a lot better!! In the west, Adaira struggles to find her place. And, though magic blooms there, the spirits suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind. With lush worldbuilding and lyrical prose, A River Enchanted feels like the echo of a folktale from a world right next to our own.” — Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf I think i just found my new favorite,comfort book 🫶🏻 this book deserves all the love and the stars ✨ it’s so tender and gentle it’s so gorgeous and beautiful i could cry for how beautiful the book really is. This series took me to another magical, wonderful world. It provided me with a place to escape my responsibility and my reality and it was the best thing ever. I was so lost and found in this book. The plot and the characters and the feelings this book made me feel are unforgettable.💖

The wind was blowing that afternoon, bearing hard from the east. Sidra had been walking on the northern road, which skirted the coast, carrying a basket of warm oatcakes and several bottles of herbal tonics, squinting into that keen wind. The boys’ frantic shouts had drawn her attention, and she had rushed to aid them, but in the end she had been too late. You and I have faced many things alone. Between the mainland and the isle, the east and the west, we've carried our troubles in solitude. As if it were weakness to share one's burden with another. But I am with you now. I am yours, and I want you to lay your burdens down on me.” She was home with Torin. She may have been in the west, with sunlight streaming in through the window, but she was home in his arms. She had never felt safer, or more deeply known and loved as he whispered her name." In the west, Adaira struggles to find her place. And, though magic blooms there, the spirits suffer beneath Bane's harsh power, felt in every gust of wind. This novel is richer and better than the first in the series, building on and adding to the deep elemental world that Ross has constructed and supported by well-forged, believable relationships and friendships. The twists are compelling, the narrative developments are well paced, and the way everything comes together is satisfyingly neat while still feeling unexpected. Ross has skillfully brought her duology to an exciting and emotional end." — Booklist (starred review)Sidra had never seen an ailment so unearthly, and she thought about the magical afflictions she had healed in the past. There were two kinds: wounds made by enchanted blades, and illnesses that came as a consequence of wielding magic. Weavers who wove secrets into plaids and smiths who hammered spells into steel. Fishermen who knotted nets with charms and cobblers who made shoes from leather and dreams. In the east, casting magic through one’s craft exacted a painful, physical cost, and Sidra had an array of tonics to ease the symptoms. this series is definitely different from all other fantasy books ive read and im not sure how to describe the vibes it gave me but it felt like i was in the setting of the movie brave with this enchanted forest and whisps and elemental spirits all around me!! Vividly imagined . . . This will appeal to lovers of fantasy from NAME OF THE WIND to the Earthsea series'