Review by Veena_Balakrishnan -- The Binding Stone

[Veena_Balakrishnan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Binding Stone" by Liz D. Marx.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Binding Stone (The Raven's Trail - Book 2) by Liz D. Marx is a sequel to The Raven's Trail - Book One. In the first part, the author had portrayed the story of Chloe Doyle and Mason Green, the extermination of the Tula tribe, and most importantly, the mysteries of the Tula stone. Chloe is a historian at The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the reincarnation of a young maiden of the evanesced Native American Tula tribe. And Mason is the last Tula Prince who was cursed to be immortal through the power of the magical Tula stone. Chole and Mason eventually fall in love and undergo a series of events to finally undo the curse while chased by an ancient man, the antagonist. Liz had also left us the knowledge that the stone had a missing piece, an identical one, and that it was with Johnny - the mysterious kid from the Caddo Cultural Center of which Mason is a benefactor.

Pamela Swan and Foster are the new protagonists in contrast to the first book - where Pamela was an accomplice of the antagonist, and Foster was the P.I. of Mason. The story revolves around Pamela, her encounter with Johnny, and his stone. After a failed attempt to find an escapade from her atrocious lifestyle, Pamela finds herself in a difficult position, targeted by more than one villain. Little does she know what is to come next and what price she would have to pay for her mistakes. The much-awaited Foster - Pamela duo adds to the treat. But will Foster trust Pamela after all that she had done? Read the book to find out.

The book answers all the questions that were persisting at the end of its prequel. It serves us an unusual story with unanticipated twists and surprises along the way, unfolding the mysteries of the stone and bringing back order, which otherwise would have resulted in a catacomb of chaos. It ends on a happy note where friends and family are reunited. The author's brilliance in putting together complex situations and interlacing them for everything to fall in place is much appreciated. Liz has been able to preserve the essence of the story throughout the book and keep the characters intriguing and memorable.

While a fascinating story in itself, I feel that a little bit of something was missing. In my opinion, part 1 of the series was slightly more striking, though I enjoyed reading the book. I came across less than ten mistakes throughout the book and believe that it is well-edited. I should also warn you that the story might come across as a cliche. So choose it only if you are honestly interested in the genre. Therefore, I give the book 2 out of 4 stars for the plot, editing, and enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to those readers who are interested in mystical stories with a historical punch to them. Also, one thing to keep in mind is, go for this book only once you have read the first part - The Raven's Trail - Book One.

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The Binding Stone
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[MsH2k]

I sampled book 1 but didn’t add it to my reading list. It’s satisfying that the sequel answered all the lingering questions from the prequel. That’s quite a flip— I think I would have trouble trusting Pamela in this installment.

Thank you for your thorough review.