An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy #2) by James Islington

One of the times I love about this book is how each character is unique and has a purpose; none of them is a filler; they each have something important to contribute to the story.

‘The people with whom we are friends should never affect our morality; rather, our morality should affect with whom we are friends.’”

This series just gets better with each book. I thought this book would have the usual middle book syndrome, but I was wrong; this is much better than the first book. While the first book focused on introducing the reader to the world, characters, and plot, this one used that build-up and continued the story. There were no unnecessary repetitions of things we already knew. Every new revelation is mind-blowing; I really enjoyed how the characters adapted to each obstacle they encountered.

One of the times I love about this book is how each character is unique and has a purpose; none of them is a filler; they each have something important to contribute to the story.

The true evil is always in the reason and the excuse, not the act. I was fooled. I was angry. I wasn’t thinking. I had to do it, else worse things would have happened. It didn’t hurt anyone. It hurt less people than it would have if I hadn’t. It was to protect myself. It was to protect others. It was in my nature. It was necessary. It was right.”

Another is the magic system and world-building; the author outdid himself, and new locations keep popping up, especially in Caeden’s memory. The way the magic is explained is just great. We also learn more about the Venerate, their purpose, and why Tal’kamar left their ranks.

The friendship and romance in this book are just perfect, none overshadow the plot, and they serve their purpose well. I adore the fight; either the ones with magic or the ones with just swords were nicely depicted.

Plot

It’s been months after the Venerate and Blind attack in Andarra. Repairs have been made in the capital, and some idiots assume it’s just regular people with armor. But Wirr, Asha, Davian, and some others know what actually happened, and they also know it’s just the beginning of a big war. The protagonists prepare and inform those willing that there is a threat and that the boundary won’t hold for long.

“The day on which you decide not to question what you believe is the day that you start making excuses for why you believe it.”

Characters

Caeden is fast becoming my favorite character in this book, I liked him even before he got his memory back, and I still like him now that he has. If I’m being honest, I like him more now, and he went to the extent of wiping his memories to save humanity. Despite what he did in the past, he didn’t let that define him. No one is perfect, so I like it when a character has some dirt under their fingernails.

Caeden is Aerkin Davead, who invaded Andarra centuries ago. His actual name is Tal’kamar; he changed it to do that so he can tell himself it’s someone that did it; he did it cause Shaemaloth pretending to be El told him to.

Ashalia, called Asha by her close friends, is a gem; the length she will go to for what she believes in is amazing. I know I would refuse if I were to be in her shoes. But she went in head held high, and for that, I applaud her. I need people like her in my life. The reason why Asha was spared when everyone was killed in book one is finally revealed, and dying is way better than what is in store for her. She is to be put in some coffin like a prison with needles that pierce her skin to release Essence and hold the boundary temporarily for some years or decades, it’s extremely painful, and she agrees. If it were me, I would have run for the hills when I saw the prison.

She was just like the rest of them—willfully ignorant, passionately believing in something because she surrounded herself with people who also passionately believed in the same thing. He knew the type, now—those who found it easier to listen to people who reinforced what they already thought, rather than actually considering the opinions of those who didn’t.

Wirrander, also Torin, is having trouble keeping the administrators in check, which is not surprising. Despite that, he knows he is the best person for the job and refuses to give up cause he knows what will happen when the boundary breaks. His job in this was to get the administrators and noble houses to send people to the boundary, which is so not as easy as it looked.

Davin has the least job in the book; he and the other Augurs, which include Ishelle, Fessei, and Erran, are trying to figure out how to repair the boundary permanently. Davian is more mature than he was, and even with that, he is still in touch with his humanity; killing is not his first option, and I hope he does not change that side of him.

Nihim had called it the natural arrogance of man to want complete freedom, total control over their own lives. The Venerate described its absence as slavery.