Elvenblood is the sequel to the Elvenbane, and I went into this read thinking it was a reread, but as I read along, I found I really didn’t remember where the story the story was going, so I think this was the first the time I read this book.
After rereading Elvenbane earlier this year, I was a little disappointed with what I remembered as a better story. After reading Elvenblood, my respect for Elvenbane has gone back up a notch. Elvenbane had a grander scope, with hints of lost civilizations and secret weapons that could help the humans regain what was gone. Elvenblood features many of the same interesting characters we met in the first book, and even adds a few more, but the epic scope is gone. They do meet a lost tribe of free humans, which is a fairly interesting storyline, but the essential conflict of this story is entirely too pat, and happens way too quickly. I didn’t hate this book, but I was left with a vaguely disappointed feeling when I was done.
There is another book in the series (Elvenborn), which I’ll have to get ahold of. Here’s hoping that the last book can recapture the epic scope and bring a satisfactory ending to the story.