When one quest leads to another...

TO SPEAK WITH ELDERS didn't live up to all of my hopes/expectations coming out of SINS AND SORROWS, but I still very much enjoyed joining Grahme for another adventure.

PLOT/TONE
Things kick off pretty much immediately after the events of SINS AND SORROWS (perhaps parts of it even overlap, the timeline wasn't completely clear to me). What threw me off the most is how little characters and events from the previous two books played a meaningful role in this story. In some ways, SINS AND SORROWS felt like essential reading prior to TO SPEAK WITH ELDERS, but in others, those events seemed rather inconsequential. Certain details would definitely be confusing without the prior context of Book 1.5, but I was really hoping for more connection points, especially since things seemed to be converging around all the Sorim political intrigue. Grahme's current adventure, instead takes him off in an entirely different direction which introduces brand new characters, takes us to new parts of the world, and even introduces some new types of magic. The longer this book sits with me, the more I think I appreciate all the newness. At the time I read it though, I definitely found myself wishing that there was more follow up on things that had previously been introduced. Some of this is just misaligned expectations and some of it probably had to do with some things I had going on at the time, but I struggled to find get fully engrossed in certain sections of this one.

After joining the rest of the druid council for a summit, Grahme finds himself going on another quest, which then leads to another quest, and then another. Needless to say, the plot took some interesting turns. I appreciated all the layers of this story even though I wasn't always fully invested and definitely felt bad for Grahme as one thing piled on top of another for him. Those who liked the pacing and overall format of BECOMING A DRUID will feel right at home here, but Mollman does enough to play with the adventure-quest formula this time around where this doesn't simply feel like a repeat of the first book. It's also clear to me that the author is building up to something even larger than I'd originally thought this series aspired to. There's a whole world being crafted here and lots of moving parts that will likely only grow in importance later. I've never really been a patient reader who "trusts the process," but now that I have read all the currently available books in this series, I do find myself rather eager to see what will come next.

CHARACTERS
As with the previous two books, the characters are a mix of exceptional and somewhat forgettable. The way that Grahme is handled this time around really impressed me. He's still a somewhat haughty fellow who feels true to the impetuous, young druid-in-training that we met in the first book, but the ways in which he has matured as a person felt quite satisfying. It can be a very difficult thing to balance character growth with who they previously were as a character and I think that is managed brilliantly here. Another huge highlight of the cast is that Figol finally gets to join his uncle for pretty much the entire duration of the journey. Much of the plot centers around Grahme's promise to do everything he can to get Figol admitted into the druids. While I felt like Grahme embraced the stern mentor figure a little too enthusiastically at times, I really enjoyed his relationship with his nephew and their dynamic definitely kept me engaged even during parts of the adventure that didn't capture me as much. I also thought the dilemma surrounding whether Figol should be allowed to become a druid was quite interesting and I constantly found myself questioning where I stood on the issue given his telepathic powers, familial ties to a Sorim royal family, and certain choices he made along the journey that juxtaposed his otherwise calm and caring personality which would seemingly make him an ideal candidate for the order.

The side cast is where things got a little mixed. Characters from previous books don't really show up a whole lot for this story. Even the council of druids mostly only plays a role in the beginning and end chapters. Fortunately, there are some very interesting newcomers. The shapeshifting Bodmin was a particular standout for me as well as other members of his family that I won't spoil. The centaur characters that play a part in the latter half of the book were all fantastic and I found their culture super interesting. On the flipside, there were some that were equally forgettable, in my opinion. There are two women who appear earlier on that I didn't really connect with in any way and I kept literally forgetting their names even when they were still an active part of the story. Some of this may have just been my state of mind while reading these sections, but I think to some extent at least they could have been more interesting and distinct. Similarly, there are some antagonistic characters who are dealt with faster than I would have liked which sort of sullied the sense of triumph in their defeat. I was also surprised that one with particular relevance to Figol did not leave a bigger splash (even though that was kind of explained).

SETTING/WORLD
As I mentioned before, this story is less about revisiting already travelled ground, and much more interested in taking readers to brand new corners of this world. While that may not have been what I was expecting, the journey ventures into some fascinating new locations that I very much enjoyed learning about. The city of the Emerald Druids was maybe my least favorite of them all, but it was still a cool starting place for the quest. I also think the politics of this particular location made up for anything I found uninteresting about it and I found it pretty entertaining that Grahme unwittingly gets himself wrapped up in their war with the demon summoners. The place in which The Nine hold summits was a bit more interesting to me and it almost reminded me of a tranquil shrine or hideaway that one might find in Middle Earth. The bog that Bodmin dwells in had a cool, moody atmosphere and I liked the woodland shack that they travel with him to later in the story. Chief among all the new geography though, has to be the land of the centaurs. There is a vaguely dystopian human kingdom that I found intriguing and then, of course, the sprawling tented metropolis of the half-horse-half-human folk. I loved how the construction of this place fit the tribal nature of the centaur society while also feeling rather civilized in it's own, brutal way.

In addition to some new parts of the world, there are also some new forms of magic. Figol's mental powers are expanded upon in some intriguing ways and we also learn about some deeply disturbing uses of it thanks to some of the mental manipulations his own mother placed on him (which certainly made me see her in a new light). There is also some very creepy demon magic. I don't normally love magic systems that are based around demons, but this one is handled pretty well and there were some surprising rules as well as possibilities defined around it that kept me wanting to learn more. While the centaurs themselves don't seem to wield any magic, I always love when magical creatures are introduced. There is another very popular type of mythological creature that I think people will be happy to see, but I don't want to spoil what that is (the centaurs are on the cover, so I feel pretty comfortable talking about them). All in all, things feel so much bigger and there is a sense of magic beyond just the druidic abilities. I have a feeling that there is even more that Mollman intends to explore in this series and I very much look forward to learning more about Prettani as well as it's neighboring nations in the future.

THE AUDIOBOOK
There isn't a whole ton more to say on the audio performance that I haven't already said. If you liked it in the previous two books, then I think you will find it just as enjoyable this time around (and if you didn't, then I suppose you won't this time either). I do appreciate the consistency of having the same person perform all three of the books and was yet again blown away that he sings us another song in the middle of one of the chapters (and does it quite well). Consuming the story in this format made it a light, easy read for my car rides or walks and I really enjoyed having some clean fantasy to take with me on the move.

CONCLUSION
TO SPEAK WITH ELDERS serves as a worthy successor to the first book in the series. It expands upon some of the series' strengths while still falling to some of it's initial pitfalls and not always meeting my expectations in terms of it's connections to previous books (though, again, some of this might have to do with me not being fully clear on how it fits into the timeline with SINS AND SORROWS). If you've been enjoying the series so far, then you absolutely have to read this one since it expands the world in interesting ways and introduces some great new characters as well.
(+) Interesting expansion on the types of magic in this world
(+) Action and adventure throughout
(+) Compelling lead characters
(+) A handful of spectacular side characters
(+) Exploration of fascinating new regions within the world
(+) Some interesting teases at things to come
(+) Centaurs (need I say more?)
(-) Some side characters that were forgettable and some villains that didn't reach their full potential
(-) Certain parts of the plot that I didn't mesh with as much as I wanted
(-) I'd hoped for more concrete connections with previous books

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Super good

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

For Figol to join the Druid council Uncle Grohme makes a deal with the newly elected head of the Druid council. She send them on a quest to gain allies that might be able to help aid them in the event that a war breaks out.
Grohme & Figol set out for the Emerald Druids… but quickly find they don’t want anything to do with their rival sister clan. But an unexpected emerald Druid leads them to a possible allie but this alliance will take time & trust. To help build this trust they make a deal to help rid their city of demon summoners.
Next they try their hand with the Centaurs… in which they receive a death sentence with a quest to clear their names. And then accidentally have war breakout with the Centaurs & a nearby city that has the bones of the Centaur ancestors.
Have Grohme & Figol made enough alliances??? Or any alliances??
This was such a good read with so many twists & turns. Highly recommend this series for fantasy & magic lovers.

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A delightful quest-filled sequel!

What a delightfully quirky second book this turned out to be. We are following Grahme yet again as our sole POV, but this time he keeps his nephew Figol around for the whole book instead of ditching him part way through. I enjoyed the dynamic between the pair as they faced down one seemingly impossible quest after the next with determination and aplomb.

We get to see many more parts of Mollman's fantastical version of ancient Britain and learn some more of the intriguing history and lore as we travel around and meet some new peoples/races and long-lived beings. Most of the book is spent away from other druids though, and I found myself missing some of those interesting characters and just the Druid culture that we spent more time with in book 1. I wasn't as intrigued by some of the characters Grahme has to engage with on his quests here, but they were all distinctive and full of personality nonetheless. The highlight of the read beyond just spending time with Grahme (whom I've become quite attached to) was the animal transformation magic taking center stage and playing a continual role in the narrative -- I just loved all the fun variety and strategic advantages that come with that magic.

The book does a great job establishing more of the larger political picture at play and setting up what I imagine might be an explosive second half of the series. This series is general is just a bit off the wall and completely unpredictable, so I can't wait to see what comes next.

The narration is utterly superb by Meunier, who's becoming a favorite narrator for me at this point after a few books. I hope he gets a lot more work in the industry!

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A fantastice sequel

I continue to find myself really enjoying this series by Mike Mollman. It continues shortly where the first one ended, and allows us to see more of what the Druids can do. It was great to see more of the political side of the Druid council but once again we are on a wonderful quest with high stakes. With griffins, centaurs, and shape shifters all making an appearance, this is a series that uses some lesser known fantasy elements in fun and intriguing ways.

Once again, the strength of the novel was the magic systems that are in full display. It really highlights some of the elements that were just hinted at last time and makes them a more integral part of the story. It was really fun with the nephew making a return and helping on this quest. The shape shifting continues to remain one of my favorite points, especially when it highlights what the Druids truly stand for. It was great to once again see the weaknesses to the magic as well. All of the elements are well thought out and unique, especially when they are used in the battles and other elements. The world is interesting and we get to see more of it in this novel.

I highly recommend this series for a unique take on common fantasy elements that are usually just in the background. I really like seeing the druids as the main characters and being a true steadfast fantasy character. I can see lots of people chanting “I need more Druid!” after reading this second story. I count myself as one of them. Give yourself a treat and change into the mindset that this series should be on your list to read soon!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!

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