Clarion Call

January 1, 2024
This sequel to Ravensong (2023), which picks up where its predecessor left off, concludes the Irish mythology-inspired duology. Neve and her girlfriend, Alexandria, have made it back to Newgrange Harbor, Massachusetts, after traveling through the Gate that Neve has spent her life protecting from the monsters that try to pass through it. But Aodh, her antagonistic cousin, has followed her--and even worse, her sisters are stuck on the other side. Neve isn't supposed to get back any memories of her previous lives until she turns 18, but they've started trickling in anyway, making her more confused than ever about whom to trust and why the Gate was created in the first place. The highly original worldbuilding that stood out in the first book is present here, but this story is lacking in tension and significant character growth. For most of the novel, the major conflict centers on Neve's confused memories, an element that quickly becomes repetitive and frustrating. Many chapters smartly end with mini cliffhangers, which entice readers to keep going, but they wind up feeling like false alarms as the story continues to meander without much development all the way to the underwhelming ending. There is some delightfully gross imagery throughout and a few cute moments between Neve and Alexandria, who are cued white, but there is little, plot-wise, for readers to invest in. A disappointing finish to what started off as a promising series. (Fantasy. 13-18)

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January 31, 2024
Grades 10-12 Neve, the third of the Morrigan triad, feels like a failure. The Gate to Hell opened, her troublesome cousin Aodh was let loose, and her two older sisters, Mercy and Bay, jumped through the portal, sacrificing themselves to save her. Her memories are still unclear, but she knows something terrible: she's been reincarnating for thousands of years, killing her extended (god and demon) family members, but neither she nor the convent sisters know why. On top of all this, she still has to go to high school, where her closest friends treat her like something about to break or explode. When she reveals her secrets to her found family, they're terrified of Aodh's presence, but soon agree to let Neve and her guardians train them in self-defense. Throughout, Neve's memories slowly return, though they still don't make much sense and she's not sure what's truth and what's a lie. Fay's first book, Ravensong (2023), was a sweet and brutal start to this duology. It continues here with more trauma, but the story is well worth it.

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