2 out of 4 stars
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Return of the Brethren is the second book in The Gifter’s Ring Saga by P. G. Barnett. It continues the tale of the struggle between the Brethren and the Coven, two groups from the same dimension, both trapped on Earth. Both groups live among us in human form; however, their motivations are completely different. The Coven has assimilated into human society and wishes nothing more than to live in peace. The Brethren desire nothing but ultimate power and control. For generations, the members of the Coven have succeeded in minimizing the effects of the Brethren and trapping their most powerful leaders inside the Gifter’s Ring. They have even successfully destroyed the bridge connecting our world to theirs, essentially cutting off the ability of the Brethren to grow in power.
Now, however, a child has been born who contains the power of both groups, as well as the power to once again open the bridge between worlds. The Brethren, led by the Blood Countess, will stop at nothing to get her. The Coven must protect her at all cost. Here is where this volume begins. Melissa’s daughter, Angie, is the key. To protect her, Melissa has gone on the run, attempting to return home to Texas alone and prepare a safe haven for Angie. As the new government of the United States, under the control of the Brethren, seeks Angie, they set off a series of events that lead the US into a second civil war, eliminating Melissa’s ability to move safely across the country. She meets Ott, a mercenary of sorts, who agrees to help her--for a price. Drawn into the danger is Ady, who is also trying to flee to the safety of Texas.
Meanwhile, Melissa’s sister, Irene, has been hiding in England with Angie, waiting for her sister to call them home. Irene, however, is wanted for a murder she didn’t commit and is being hunted by Coop, a determined detective. When Coop catches up with Irene, he finds out first hand the power Angie holds--and the danger of the Brethren. Everything comes to a head when everyone converges on a small town in Texas. It becomes a fight for survival as the Brethren seize Angie and Melissa and attempt to open the bridge once again.
I never like to start a series in the middle, and this book is no exception. Quite a bit of the action leading up to this story apparently happened in Book One, and the author gives little to no back story to help the reader get caught up. More of the story is filled in much later in the book, when Irene explains to Coop what is going on. However, it made it difficult to really engage with the characters for a large portion of the book. Once I did, I enjoyed the characters and, finally, was drawn into the story. Of course, the book ends on a cliffhanger, but the author does a respectable job of winding down this story while building suspense for the next book in the series.
I would love to say that I am ready to go out and buy all the books so that I can read them in order and enjoy the entire story. The actual plot, once you figure it out, is very exciting, and the characters are easy to love--and hate. It has all the ingredients for great fantasy fiction—except one. This book is very poorly edited. The author has a bad habit of running several thoughts together in one sentence. For example:
I constantly felt myself adding punctuation in my head just so that I could understand the author’s point. In spite of his penchant for long-winded sentences and conjunctions, the author frequently misses or misplaces commas. He uses a dash when he should use an ellipsis. There were so many editing errors that, in order to actually finish the book, I had to make a conscious effort to ignore them and focus on the storyline. Because of the multitude of errors, I can only give this book 2 out of 4 stars. Anyone who loves fantasy fiction may enjoy this series, but I caution you to start with Book One. Be prepared, however, to turn off your mental grammar check and go with the flow of the story.Irene picked up an assault weapon, checked to ensure the safety was on, snapped the magazine out and tapped it against the bumper of the truck and then slid the magazine back in and pulled back the charging bolt and swatted it with the palm of her hand.
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Return of the Brethren
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