Weekly Reader: Midlife Incantations (Paraval Book 2) by Kate Swansea; More Magic, More Problems
By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
Spoilers: Now we return to the world of Black Lake Falls, Washington and its Warden, 45 year old Elise Clair, a divorced dentist and mother of two that has to awaken alchemist abilities to fight dark forces.
In the previous volume of Kate Swansea's Paraval series, Midlife Alchemy, Elise accepts the position of Warden when she learns that her late father, Jack Clair had been one before he died. As Warden, their job is to make sure the gate to Inferium remains closed. If it is open even a tiny bit, dark unpleasant creatures called umbra come out and wreak havoc on the town. That's not the worst of it, they act under the bidding of a sinister character known as the Dark Commander who has possessed Black Lake Falls citizens in the past and has done it again.
One of the things that I liked about Midlife Alchemy was that it depicted a middle aged normal woman thrust in an extraordinary circumstance and shows how she adjusts and even thrives in this new world. The sequel, Midlife Incantations, loses a bit of that regular person feel. Elise is now the Warden and while she has to learn some new powers, she is definitely adjusted to her surroundings. However, it's still an effective adventure that tests Elise and her new friends.
In this volume, Elise and her boyfriend, General Theo Stallard, are two of the three Keepers to keep the Umbra out. They have to help the third, Ronath, a minotaur who is also the Gatekeeper. He is the latest to be possessed by the Dark Commander. He disappears but only after leaving destruction in his wake as though he were looking for something. Elise learns that her parents were part of a secret organization of alchemists whose surviving members are dying one by one. Apparently, they had knowledge of a mysterious book called The Book of Mairel, that has spells to open all of the demon gates in the entire world or close the portal to Inferium permanently.
There are some great moments that focus on Elise expanding and testing her powers. She has to learn ritualistic magic from a local witch named Agatha. While she makes many mistakes in practice, she ultimately is able to succeed in this endeavor, even changing events by swapping certain objects used in the rituals.
Her alchemist abilities are also growing stronger. In a couple of great moments, Elisa and Theo combine her alchemical powers with his pyrokinesis to build a working boat and activate a motorcycle.
Elise's search for The Book of Mairel gives her the opportunity to weigh the powerful implications of that book and its potential consequences. She may have the ability to eradicate all evil and close the portal for good but what does that mean for herself and everyone around her? There will be nothing for her as Warden to do. How powerful can a spell like that be in reality and what if it fell in the wrong hands?
Another important thing to note about the Book of Mairel is that it contains a spell that would eliminate all vampires. This is hugely problematic because Black Lake Falls is home to many vampires including Elise's friends, Nina and Jerome. Elise vows that no matter the circumstances that she will never use that spell but the fact that such a spell even exists puts her at odds with various vampires. Also there's the unspoken thought that who's to stop someone else from using it. The Book of Mairel may be an easy solution but it ultimately could do more harm than good.
There is also a lot of drama concerning the Dark Commander's possession of Ronath. In the previous volume, he possessed another character but it was treated like a mystery over who was getting possessed and it ended up being one of Elisa's new friends. While she is kind, we barely knew her before her possession.
This is different. We have known Ronath since Book 1. He is a kindly gentle giant uh minotaur. He and Theo have a bro-like friendship which consists of teasing and riffing each other but constantly having each other's backs. He is a good loyal friend to many and makes Elise feel welcome in her new surroundings. He even has a girlfriend, Agatha, who arrived in Black Lake Falls the same time that he did, centuries ago.
Ronath's a permanent fixture around town and for the Dark Commander to take him removes a large heart from the story.
It also affects Theo personally as he watches his best friend and partner succumb to a madness that he cannot help him with, a madness that can only be cured one way. This leaves Theo with the heartbreaking dilemma whether or not to kill his old friend.
Even once everything in this book is resolved, there is a cliffhanger ending for the next volume, which will bring the series to a dark, fascinating, and possibly decisive climax.
No comments:
Post a Comment