Tome Thursday: Ericksen

 

Hello everyone!

 

And then we return to BookSirens.

 

Well, no one can say I'm not consistent haha.

 

But I've been following this particular author since I VERY randomly stumbled over her first novel from the Guardians of Sziveria series, and I have to tell you it's well worth it.

 

I've read a whole lot of post-apocalyptic books by this point, but these kind of hit the cherry on top of the cake for me.

 

I mean, it's not often that the world is SO completely dismantled, after all, not to mention the fact that it doesn't really have much semblance to what we know and (mostly) love today, though I could of course be wrong and just not see it.

 

However, considering I'm now five books in, I'd like to think I know SOMETHING here.

 

Sarah Westill has created a world well worth stepping into.

 

Her Ericksen novella just goes to show that the statement still stands.

 

Links to previous, related works can be found at the bottom of the page, in reading order.

 

Let's recap, but briefly: the world came to an explosive end in a massive cataclysm that literally set it back thousands of years. People fought for survival and eventually, four nations rose from the ashes, and are now attempting to form some sort of society once more. They have magnet-powered cars, there are radios, guns, etc., but they spend their time in gowns and evening wear when coming together for balls and events.

 

Steampunk, I'm telling you.

 

Our story covers the mysterious disappearance of a teenager after the death of her mother and brother, leaving the father (who's also deaf) bereft. He also happens to be one of the nations' old assassins, so the chances of his daughter having inherited his genetic gift are quite high.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: after experimenting with genetics, individuals emerged that had specific DNA which turned abilities into actual, genetically coded talents; these range from being able to foresee how someone will move to intercept them, to feeding your energy to the plants, to actually touching people and figuring out if they're sick or not, etc.

 

Back to the show.

 

Melody, who stands to inherit the Ericksen seat and is daughter to the two eminent genetic researchers in the country, takes on the case of the missing girl, but unfortunately someone absconded with the file from this world's version of the police, so she's starting from scratch. She also needs to work with Vayden, a reward seeker, whom the father appoints as point person for the case on the whole.

 

The catch? He and Melody were matched months ago by a matchmaker, but she politely declined him because she needs a ranked Guardian to marry.

 

Hell hath no fury like a man scorned, I'm telling you.

 

After Vayden gets his petty bullshit out of his system, they do in fact start the actual investigation which leads them to old properties, records in different languages which require a guest appearance by Ramsey Hunter from the previous books, and eventually a threat from the invisible threat they've all been facing since the start of book one.

 

There's people out there apparently forming a shadowy, fifth territory, or attempting to take over at least, and we still aren't anywhere close to uncovering them, but Vayden and Melody at least manage to speak to Voklane (you remember him, from the special ops group, and I'd like to know what his talent is and when he gets his own book, please and thank you) who gives them what help he can. This eventually leads them to the seemingly abandoned warehouse where they free the captive children.

 

See, it turns out, these people that are taking them? They're "shopping" for them, which sounds even worse when you put it like that.

 

Now it's LITERALLY a race against time to figure this thing out, though the nature of this book is that it focuses more on the personal relationship than the case, really.

 

Melody and Vayden are both attracted to one another, and Vayden would DEFINITELY contract/marry her in a heartbeat, but she's got some heavily imprinted prejudices that have been hammered into her by her snobbish, rank-hungry parents all her life, so her point of view needs some serious shifting first.

 

No one can deny their obvious chemistry, though, and you'd have to be blind to do so.

 

But the truth is Melody wouldn't have been able to make the shift if not for Vayden, who introduces her to his family and shows her what an actual relationship with them should look like, aka nothing like what she and her sister have in their own home.

 

Couple that with the revelation that the parents sent her deaf little sister to a mental institution and Melody literally loses it, initially contracting with Vayden to piss her parents off and because she knows it's the right thing to do, but later promising herself to him on the grounds she isn't going after his mother's ranked position, and the two gain custody of the little girl as well.

 

More importantly, it also turns out Melody's been lied to about her talent her entire life, having tested and received confirmation it's logic-based, when it turns out it's botanical as plants keep trying to speak to her. But a botanical talent can never achieve a ranking so it's obvious who did the hiding.

 

Guys, the parents suck. Plain and simple.

 

So Melody and her sister abscond from them and make their own home with Vayden, even as Wintervail wraps around them (the confirmation they survived another year and celebration of life before the Arctic winter sets in for months). Given this will be the girls' first one in, well, ever, it's where we leave them - just as Melody tells Vayden she's pregnant.

The end!

I'll admit. I wasn't sold on the preview, or the first chapter as it turns out. Nor was I sold with the initial beats of the story as we are continuously told how awful Melody supposedly was to Vayden, and has been, but all we're shown is a desperately shy, awkward, nervous woman. That didn't mesh with descriptions and I kept getting mad because Vayden was a complete asshole in contrast, punishing Melody for something not her fault, constantly belittling her and making her feel even smaller than she presented.

Not cool.

So I fully expected to walk out of this hating the book with a passion.

Of course then I started bawling my eyes out about a third of the way in as we learn more about Melody herself, so joke's on me.

Vayden, while starting off as an ass, develops into the strong, supportive man Melody needs, a true partner she hadn't hoped for. She, in turn, unlearns behaviour and grows in leaps and bounds when allowed to do so, with the safety of his support.

His family was lovely. Hers a complete disaster. I'd actually love to know exactly how they managed to lie to her for so long and who all they bribed along the way.

We continue to get glimpses of The V Alliance, and knowing the next book again covers one of the special ops members makes me think we may slowly start to learn even more about them ... or maybe I'm just hoping haha!

The search for the missing teenager takes a backstage to the story of Melody and Vayden leaning into one another, and I'm okay with that.

I have zero clue why Vayden is such a stubborn ass about getting tested, but I'm okay with the rest.

Definitely recommend, this book releases today, and I can't wait for the next installment out of Sziveria!

xx

*image not mine

Levkaseon - Wintersfall - Raiventon - Kynhaven - Asherwick