Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2) by Rebecca Ross
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
Review: After the shattering conclusion of book one, Iris Winnow has returned home from the front alone. The war rages on, Roman is missing, and nothing is as it should be. Meanwhile, Roman awakes in Dacre's realm, healed by the god just enough to survive but unable to remember his past. He begins to write article for Dacre. One day, a strange letter appears through his wardrobe, and he begins to strike up a correspondence. As his memory slowly returns, he must make a decision between standing with Dacre or betraying the god who saved his life.
I wondered how the author would build on the enchanted typewriters that originally drew Iris and Roman together and loved how the epistolary aspect continues in this novel. In a reversal of the first novel, Roman is now the one in the dark about who he is corresponding with, and the great reveal of her identity felt suitably dramatic, if somewhat lacking in sparks between the two.
Perhaps this sequel was simply overhyped, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as book one. The immediate attraction between the two that was very evident in book one seems very lacking in this book. I just didn't feel like they really yearned or burned for each other or to return to each other in the way that they did in the first book.
Readers got to see the gods and their magic much more up close in this book, but it somehow only increased the number of questions I had. The "gods" in these books are more like magical beings with long lifespans. They seem extremely fragile in and easy to trick or kill in many ways. It was never really clear what they were fighting over exactly. I just struggled to suspend my disbelief when it came to Dacre and Enva.
Still, I was glad that I got to see the conclusion of the story. There were some heartbreaking moments in this novel. Parts were a bit slow, the magic was a bit lackluster in its explanation and complexity, but I still love Iris and Roman and was eager to see how their story continue to unfold in this.
Stars: 3
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