Sara Secora is the author behind 2016s Throne of Lies, a book I also had the pleasure of reviewing during its initial release. A few months back, Sara Secora released its sequel, Untoward Awakening, and this followup showed exactly how much Sara grew as a writer in those three years.
Throne of Lies was all about a seventeen year old princess of Northwind (Amethysta). Amethysta’s mother had many secrets, and one of these secrets relates to the power that lies within Amethysta. In Throne of Lies, Amethysta is betrothed to a man named Soren; but after meeting Arkarial of the Seili race, Amethysta becomes attached to him. But due to Arkarial’s race and the politics of the kingdom, Amethysta could never go public with her true love.
While Throne of Lies spent plenty time developing its characters —specifically the protagonist Amethysta and the love interest Arkarial— Untoward Awakening goes full steam ahead with throwing these already established characters into a fun and exciting adventure. Not only that, but there’s some new additions to the cast, including an imp by the name of Bex.
Bex is a much needed addition to the story as he contrasts Amethysta and Arkarial’s personalities well and he balances certain scenes that risk coming across as too serious.
Untoward Awakening picks up right where Throne of Lies left off and accelerates the world-building in Secora’s universe significantly. This book treats us to more of the mystical world of Vataenya and how its politics work. These are things that were only hinted towards in Throne of Lies.
The mid-portion of Untoward Awakening is devoted almost entirely to character development and world-building, at the expense of the story itself slowing down. By the time it picks up again in the final quarter, the stakes begin to rise and there are some intense revelations that will change Amethysta’s character forever; making this a book with more punch than the series opener.
Sara Secora’s prose is clear but eloquently descriptive. Her word choice is her strength as it’s possible to clearly visualize every detail of a scene, without her needing to string along lengthy paragraphs of detail.
Untoward Awakening is a delightful fantasy adventure that left me thirsty for the next part of Amethysta’s tale. Too bad we’ll have to wait again, but in the meantime I recommend getting caught up with the series if you’ve yet to check it out. These books are a perfect alternative for fans of authors such as Sara J. Maas and Margaret Rogerson.
