ARC Review: "Severance of Minds" by Jodie Angell (The Ancient Spells Trilogy #2) ★★★★

ARC Review: Severance of Minds by Jodie Angell (The Ancient Spells Trilogy #2)

Jodie Angell has skilfully continued her swift epic fantasy trilogy to the extent that I love it far more than the first book! This is filled with more heartwarming moments, fighting, spice and everything in between. Prepare to be swept away by this tale of magic, corruption, revenge and hope!

He took my hand in his and placed it over his steadily beating heart. “Together, we get to find ourselves again, despite all that we have lost. Because of you, my heart still has a reason to beat. I cannot bear to breathe the air that you do not inhale. When I take you in my arms, it is akin to holding the entire world in my hands. You’re everything I want and more.”

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
At the end of the previous book, the evil Dark Mage, Makdou, used a spell called the Crimson Kiss to manipulate Queen Evalyn into murdering her unborn child. Broken, distrustful of all around her yet hellbent on revenge, Evalyn conjures a portal to escape her current situation in hopes of returning stronger.

She finds herself in a different dimension of Swynvale where she meets the very wise Reuben, Master of the Temple of Peace, and makes new friends. Orcs in this realm are, just like in Arogath, destroying all in their path. In a nearby settlement that has been invaded, it is revealed that there is a green, anchored portal containing dangerous magic. Makdou is revealed as the culprit behind these portals, using the Crimson Kiss spell through them to control the Orcs.

Reuben is attacked by this magic, and is incredibly weak. To save him, Evalyn must travel back to Arogath to face those she abandoned, including her lover Felix, and get the help of High Priestess Sofia and her own mother. They must find the Great Mother Tree, an ancient tree hidden but said to have great healing abilities. And they must find a counterspell against the Crimson Kiss, a protective shield spell called the Severance of Minds. Doing this will ensure Makdou’s downfall and Evalyn is the only one who can do this.

But Evalyn turns to Blood Magic to enhance her abilities to defeat her enemies, the same magic that Makdou uses. And there is a terrible price to pay for it.

OVERALL OPINIONS
After reading Crimson Kiss, I felt the premise was promising the world-building and characterisation lacked depth so I was unsure of continuing the series. I am glad that I took a chance on this again because I really enjoyed it. A good little twist at the end! I had the opportunity to be a beta reader for this novel, critiquing areas of the plot to help flesh it out, and I appreciated not only the chance to work with Jodie but also that my opinions were valued.

As with some sequels, because most aspects of the story have been done in the first book, things flow much better. Here I felt this was definitely the case. Of course, a new world is introduced here, but this was far easier to follow.

While this is a fantasy story, some of this felt really realistic. I will explore a few examples below:

• There was a good portrayal of healthy and toxic family dynamics: for example, Evalyn with her mother vs her father is so different. The mother was so lovely and positive I can see why this book is dedicated to Angell’s own mother, whereas the father is cold and critical. But Valneris is so sweet, he is a better fatherly figure than her own father. I loved his gift for her! Newly, there is a strained relationship between Dmitri with his father, which is not fully explained but is there (sometimes these things do not always need a backstory to understand a situation). Eric seems to have a similar tension with his own father.

• One which I loved the most was the exchange between Evalyn and Seth where he says “I don’t blame you… for blaming him,” he whispered. “Grief does cruel things to people.” – truer words were never spoken! It can make you isolate yourself or place hatred in someone who does not deserve it.

• Another thing is these questions: “why did Otis [God of Peace] allow for such suffering? Why not just put an end to the Orcs’ tyranny and be done with these endless wars? It seemed prayers fell on deaf ears everywhere.” – These questions reflect the thoughts of various people in our world who are sceptical of whether or not a divine being or external influence exists.

• I like their exclamation “what in the realm” there is equivalent to “what in the world” here.

Overall, this was a great read and I am very much looking forward to the finale!

<< Positives >>
🠚I love the book cover itself, it is even more gorgeous than the one before!
🠚The inclusion of a prologue with the final paragraphs from the first book was good. It helps set the scene for newcomers and helps remind others about what has happened thus far.
🠚This time the chapter header image for the paperback is the Great Mother Tree, and it matches the description so perfectly! “a large and beautiful tree stood as tall as the towers. Large peach-coloured tendrils hung from the branches”.
🠚A map! Yes, you heard me right, we get a gorgeous map this time!
🠚There is more description of characters in this book, which is excellent. Just about everyone from the previous book was back too which was lovely. Loved seeing my favourite man (other than Felix) Eric again!
🠚The new and old relationships covered here. Seth and Lillith, and Sofi and Dimitri.
🠚I could tell I connected better with the characters because certain moments got me emotional and/or devastated, even though I could tell this was inevitable.
🠚The healthy family and found family moments were extremely heartwarming.
🠚I appreciate the explanation of why things have happened. Some people forget to do this and lose depth because of it. Give me all the details haha! (I am still waiting for an explanation on Felix’s scar, I believe.)
🠚I like that the world of Swynvale has sentient magic, able to create scrolls containing important people’s history. “As you mature, meet new people, and encounter new challenges, more is added to the scroll. After the Mages left, the sentient magical energy had no host to channel itself through, so it took to writing the scroll until they returned.”. This is an interesting concept, which reminds me of the House of Wind from A Court of Silver Flames. Imagine if the scroll had included the broken mirror and splintered bed frame haha, I would have chortled!

<< Negatives >>
The latter two points I understand will be covered at a later date, in book 3, so does not detract much from the overall story:
🠚Less humour in this book, which is only fair considering the darker tones. Xurek provided great comedy relief whenever he did say anything and that was great! I did enjoy the moment where Evalyn is eavesdropping on Sofia and Dmitri when he asks her to marry him, but Evalyn keeps stumbling or a piece of fern ends up in her mouth!
🠚Some moments still felt rushed but this happened less in this book because fewer realms were being travelled to.
🠚I thought the fact that Felix’s ancestors are mages would come into play later in this book, but it didn’t appear to.
🠚An eagle appears at various points but its significance is not revealed yet.

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Evalyn꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Evalyn’s character development is interesting in this story in comparison to the first book. I thought she would become more dangerous in this book but it is not quite the case. I have a love-hate relationship with her but she is realistic in that way: nobody is perfect, she suffered a great loss, she makes bad impulsive decisions.
🠚She becomes more of an anti-hero by the end of this book. It reminds me of Vlad in Dracula Untold (2014). He has a line “Do you think you are alive because you can fight? You are alive because of me, because of what I did to save you!” – Evalyn makes me think of this.
🠚A bit selfish here and there in terms of not wanting to lose her friend Sofia to Dmitri, but at least she is self-aware about it! There are moments where she is very likeable, like when she is with her mother or Felix or Sofia – and her kindness to Dmirti’s mother.

I abandoned my home, on the whim of a book, to find I’m connected to another. I hoped this new world would give me a solution. A new life. A new land. A new hope.

-ˋˏ ꒰ Felix꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I have not been the same after Chapter 9. If you know you know. I am on my knees and might not get up. The scream I scrumpt (see the quote below)! That is all.
I love how after all that has happened he is so positive and supportive. We love to see it. The epitome of “Love is patient, love is kind.”

Out there, to the rest of the world, you might be a queen, a saviour, but in here, you’re mine.”

FAV QUOTES
• My son had been prophesied…and murdered for it. If one foretold fate had failed, could another?
• He stood like an oak tree, calm and strong, ancient and wise. His demeanour allowed me peace despite my inner turmoil.
• Although they might disagree with my decision, I needed to do this so one day I might bring a new age of peace to Arogath. It was my duty as queen, and I couldn’t have left my kingdom for nothing.
• There was a truth between us, in the way we held each other as if we might fall from the earth itself. Our touches were our bridge back to one another, while simultaneously being our escape. A few moments of pleasure instead of pain.
• His movements were slow, gentle, yet excruciatingly precise. My body was on fire, but I would happily burn for him.
• “I want you to touch me.” I trembled. “I want you to make me feel alive.” | “I would happily do that, even if it was the last thing I did,” he said.
• If one thing would bring us back together, fully, it was this. For he was mine, and I was his.
• Every second counted, and I’d use each one of them to help my friends. I wouldn’t be a victim again, and I wouldn’t let them be either.
• Sighing with relief, I sank back against the trunk. “Thank the gods.” And for the first time in a long time, I meant it. My faith thrummed as if it resembled a fire reignited.
• “I just want this to be over.” This war was never-ending, following us everywhere we went, even into other worlds. “For good.” | He kissed me lightly, then slid down onto the hay, pulling me with him. “One day at a time.”
• Rage bubbled through my veins, and my skin grew hot. Makdou took everything from me, and I promised myself I’d do the same to her.
• Felix placed his hand on my back and stroked lightly. With his other hand, he held on to his dented helmet from the Eyrie. He’d refused to swap it for a finer one from Lake Delendil. A piece of home stayed with him. With us.
• “You murdered my son,” I seethed. The words— the pain—flooded my body. The memory vivid as if I had relived it. “A life for a life.”
• The only things keeping me together were Felix’s arms around mine. His all-encompassing love—the forgiving kind—knew my mistakes, flaws, and chose to love me anyway.
• Their voices had to be heard, and despite my ailments, I would hear them.
• Together, piece by piece, we would rebuild. And this was just the start.

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Jodie Angell for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Severance of Minds” is out September 16th