I adored The Third Daughter. So I was so excited for The Second Son. And I should have been! This is a fabulous series ender about love, loyalty, and sacrifice. What does true love require? Keep reading this book review of The Second Son for my full thoughts.
Summary
The centuries-old prophecy has been fulfilled at last: the New Maiden has returned to Velle. Unfortunately, so has a malicious demi-god, whose elusive prophet is intent on converting the New Maiden’s followers. The Second Son is a vengeful, angry deity, whose psalm resonates with the disenfranchised.
With Elodie on the throne and Sabine in her own unique position of power, it should be easy enough to track down the culprit. Yet even as they’re falling in love, both girls are keeping dangerous secrets from each other. While the cult of the Second Son threatens to overthrow not only the Church of the New Maiden but also Velle’s monarchy, Elodie and Sabine must navigate impossible odds to dismantle the root of his power, all while their lives hang in the balance.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Plagued by self-doubt, The Second Son is about what we do with power. Now that we have a slice of power, how do we reconcile these new abilities? Because power inspires envy and can we hold onto our power when it’s being threatened from all sides? How can we become a good leader? Is it in the loyalty we demand or the love we foster? At the same time, The Second Son is about the allure of feeling seen. And what that recognition or that illusion will inspire in us.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
What will we do to chase the high of being recognized? I loved the themes in The Second Son. Continuing the themes from The First Daughter, this sequel also explores the suppression of emotions. The necessity to see emotions as strengths, not weaknesses. It examines the difference between love and possession. About which is going to keep us warm at night with embraces or locked doors.
Thematically, The Second Son also explores whether one person is worth the country, the future. And if we chose to repeat the cycles of the past. If our feelings, our relationships, require absolute commitment with no room for questions, is it worth saving? Find The Second Son on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.