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A review by raynireads
The Second Blind Son by Amy Harmon
4.0
3.75 ⭐️
I really enjoyed [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645], but more than that, I was captivated by the world and the potential, so it was great to return to Saylok. It was also a relief. After a disappointing read, the writing here took ahold of me right away. [a:Amy Harmon|5829056|Amy Harmon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341709289p2/5829056.jpg] demonstrates her skill here. The writing flowed well and I quickly developed an attachment to new characters. And really, as I kept reading, it felt like an elevation of everything that worked for me in the first book.
Hod is extremely endearing and Ghisla–and I know this may sound odd–reminds me of Sorcha from [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] with a touch of Jude from [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123], a sort of classic heroine with softness and sharp edges. Both Hod and Ghisla have unique magical (and not magical) abilities, which were fascinating to read about and also served their characters and their shared relationship. I am such a sucker for communication across great distance in fantasy, for mental links of sorts, for characters to be with each other always even when they are apart.
The connection between Hod and Ghisla was established rather quickly, but we do get to see it unfold and I found it believable and better developed than the romantic connections and friendships in [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645]. The characters themselves also felt more deeply explored. They felt more real. In the first book, there is more telling and a lot of work is left to the reader to dig in deeper. Things are outlined and the reader has to do some filling in. Here, things are more fleshed out. Rather than a tale being told about them, Hod and Ghisla were more active participants in the story and experienced it in a more tangible way. I do think this contributes to the feeling of this book as more of a romance than [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645]. And despite some rushed elements, I think the romance was executed well. I cared about these characters and their relationship. It did not feel forced or contrived. I think it is a romance that makes you feel and takes you on a journey.
All this being said, I do think there are a few things that hold this book back. One is the constraints placed on it by retreading the same ground already covered in the first book. The story and characters thrive when they go outside of the original story, but when they must return to events already told, it is less engaging and can feel repetitive, even when [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645] isn't super fresh in your mind. I found myself wanting to rush through the climactic battle since I had read it before.
Additionally, some of those constraints felt self-inflicted. Certain beats had to be hit again, but [a:Amy Harmon|5829056|Amy Harmon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341709289p2/5829056.jpg] also reframed some of the first book in an effort to make the characters here feel more important. I felt the need to check back in the first book and compare certain scenes–was I crazy or did that thing not happen that way originally? Ghisla was already in the first book, but it seems Harmon felt the need to make her extra special somehow, adding in dynamics (like her relationship to the King) that now feel glaringly absent in the first book. Hod gets perhaps a more severe version of this, being tied to the King and Bayr in ways I found unnecessary and contrived (and again!–glaringly absent in retrospect). Both Ghisla and Hod were interesting enough on their own, and I didn't think they needed any extra assistance by rewriting.
And shocking–for me, at least–I sometimes thought the story would be better served by a more limited narration, even a first person perspective from Ghisla. I enjoyed Hod's point of view, but it was kind of sprinkled in there, and hearing from him lessened the impact of some reveals and limited Harmon's ability to explore the complexity of Ghisla's emotional reaction and experience. A more limited perspective was not even necessary, but the last third of the book would have hit harder if Harmon played more on the knowledge the reader had versus the knowledge the characters had.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great, the world and lore remain magical and engaging, and everything felt more tangible and grounded than in the first book while still maintaining some of the fairy tale feel.
I really enjoyed [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645], but more than that, I was captivated by the world and the potential, so it was great to return to Saylok. It was also a relief. After a disappointing read, the writing here took ahold of me right away. [a:Amy Harmon|5829056|Amy Harmon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341709289p2/5829056.jpg] demonstrates her skill here. The writing flowed well and I quickly developed an attachment to new characters. And really, as I kept reading, it felt like an elevation of everything that worked for me in the first book.
Hod is extremely endearing and Ghisla–and I know this may sound odd–reminds me of Sorcha from [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] with a touch of Jude from [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123], a sort of classic heroine with softness and sharp edges. Both Hod and Ghisla have unique magical (and not magical) abilities, which were fascinating to read about and also served their characters and their shared relationship. I am such a sucker for communication across great distance in fantasy, for mental links of sorts, for characters to be with each other always even when they are apart.
The connection between Hod and Ghisla was established rather quickly, but we do get to see it unfold and I found it believable and better developed than the romantic connections and friendships in [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645]. The characters themselves also felt more deeply explored. They felt more real. In the first book, there is more telling and a lot of work is left to the reader to dig in deeper. Things are outlined and the reader has to do some filling in. Here, things are more fleshed out. Rather than a tale being told about them, Hod and Ghisla were more active participants in the story and experienced it in a more tangible way. I do think this contributes to the feeling of this book as more of a romance than [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645]. And despite some rushed elements, I think the romance was executed well. I cared about these characters and their relationship. It did not feel forced or contrived. I think it is a romance that makes you feel and takes you on a journey.
All this being said, I do think there are a few things that hold this book back. One is the constraints placed on it by retreading the same ground already covered in the first book. The story and characters thrive when they go outside of the original story, but when they must return to events already told, it is less engaging and can feel repetitive, even when [b:The First Girl Child|43078423|The First Girl Child (The Chronicles of Saylok)|Amy Harmon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554542273l/43078423._SY75_.jpg|64684645] isn't super fresh in your mind. I found myself wanting to rush through the climactic battle since I had read it before.
Additionally, some of those constraints felt self-inflicted. Certain beats had to be hit again, but [a:Amy Harmon|5829056|Amy Harmon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1341709289p2/5829056.jpg] also reframed some of the first book in an effort to make the characters here feel more important. I felt the need to check back in the first book and compare certain scenes–was I crazy or did that thing not happen that way originally? Ghisla was already in the first book, but it seems Harmon felt the need to make her extra special somehow, adding in dynamics (like her relationship to the King) that now feel glaringly absent in the first book. Hod gets perhaps a more severe version of this, being tied to the King and Bayr in ways I found unnecessary and contrived (and again!–glaringly absent in retrospect). Both Ghisla and Hod were interesting enough on their own, and I didn't think they needed any extra assistance by rewriting.
And shocking–for me, at least–I sometimes thought the story would be better served by a more limited narration, even a first person perspective from Ghisla. I enjoyed Hod's point of view, but it was kind of sprinkled in there, and hearing from him lessened the impact of some reveals and limited Harmon's ability to explore the complexity of Ghisla's emotional reaction and experience. A more limited perspective was not even necessary, but the last third of the book would have hit harder if Harmon played more on the knowledge the reader had versus the knowledge the characters had.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great, the world and lore remain magical and engaging, and everything felt more tangible and grounded than in the first book while still maintaining some of the fairy tale feel.