What can I say about the Taste of Marrow, other than it is enthralling, fun, and even better than The River of Teeth. I often like sequels more, because we know the characters, and in the sequels they are given the space to grow. This is absolutely true with The Taste of Marrow.
Summary
Goodreads says it best:
In the aftermath of the Harriet catastrophe, that crew has scattered to the winds. Some hunt the missing lovers they refuse to believe have died. Others band together to protect a precious infant and a peaceful future. All of them struggle with who they’ve become after a long life of theft, murder, deception, and general disinterest in the strictures of the law.
Review
The same characters I loved from the first are back at it in the second – but even better than before! While I knew about my love for Archie, it was Adelia and Hero which stole the show for me in this novella. There is such a lyrical composition to this story, the way Adelia and Hero are unlikely allies, or the way that William and Hero face off at the end. Because of their circumstances, all owed to the talent of Gailey, we are treated to watching Adelia and Hero get to know each other (and uncover some of their hidden qualities) and see Archie and Houndstooth in their element together.
There are some delicious plot twists here and if you thought just because they weren’t working together, it wouldn’t be as exciting, you’re wrong there. We’re treated with an equally interesting ‘villain’, who reveals a twist from the first novella. And we are given a truly satisfying ending – not in the sense that we see everything we want to see, or that we get all the answers we want – but in the sense that we are given hope and the flexibility to imagine their future.
Overall
This is a fantastic conclusion to the duology novella series, that not only provides character growth, but also an ending that will keep me dreaming of hippos for days. There are the same laughs, adorable exchanges, but also Adelia and Hero especially make this sequel even better than before. If you’re a fan of the first one, a new diverse squad to love, or even hippos – this novella series is for you.
You can pick up Taste of Marrow on Amazon(US) and add it to Goodreads. It comes out September 12, 2017.
Disclaimer: I received this novella in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.
Discussion
Would you rather ride a hippo, camel, or elephant?
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Glad this was good. I didn’t love the first one so I was gonna skip this one, but who knows? I might give it a shot at some point. I am a little curious… 🙂
Ah if you didn’t like the first because you were missing out more on Adelia, then you might like it more. But the world and hippos remain the same 😉