I have been very excited to write this review. This is the second installment in a series I’ve been loving so far, and this book is even better than the first. I was lucky enough to get to read this one in its beta stage. It was so good that I wanted to shout about it back then. Despite that urge, I waited like a good beta reader should, and was amazed at the improvements that the subtle changes in the meantime made on the end result.

If you’ve already read The Call of Wind by K.R. House and have been waiting for its sequel, I’m pleased to say the day is almost here. Book two is The Cost of Runes, coming out later this month. If you haven’t started the Unmarked series yet, then you should. It’s getting better every step of the way, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

The Cost of Runes publishes on August 18th and will be available through all your favorite book retailers. You can preorder signed copies through the author’s website.

Summary:

Marc and Elias did not think they led a sheltered life during their childhood. They had only their mother, and no excess of money. Still, a year ago, Marc had an established footing inside The Grove and Elias had no magic to speak of. Then, Elias’ windcalling abilities manifested, and so did his long-lost uncle. These new abilities meant he needed a rune urgently in order to maintain his human form. Marc was willing to trade everything to help his brother, which turned out to be more than he knew.

Now separated, and far-flung from the only home they’d previously known, both boys are realizing that the world is far more dark and complicated than they’d ever dreamed.

My Thoughts:

I was already in love with this story after I’d finished the first book, especially its magic system. This second installment of the Marked series is even better than the first. Through the eyes of both boys, readers get to see far more nuance and depth of the world they inhabit. This is partially because both boys are exploring and interacting more with their world, but they are also maturing. As they come to better understand themselves (or at least their blind spots), readers can relate to them more readily. It made for an even more immersive experience in an increasingly fascinating world.

In addition, we also get the POV of a couple more characters. Most of these are not new additions to the cast. Readers of the first book will remember them well, but see them in an entirely new light. One of these served as a minor antagonist in The Call of Wind, at which point I saw him as a mere annoyance for the primary characters. After a single chapter from his perspective, I was fully invested in his storyline. House always knows exactly how much to expose of a character or twisting plotline before switching to another perspective and leaving the reader dangling.

While book one hinted that there would be some political intrigue further along in the narrative, The Cost of Runes is where we start to see how numerous and intricate the moving pieces are. Every faction and every individual we’ve been introduced to thus far, it appears we’ve only scratched their surface. This world is widening with each turn of the page. I don’t yet know how long the author intends this series to be, but I know I’m on board every step of the way. I cannot wait to see where these characters go and what they’ll uncover next.

Content Warnings: War, Blood, Gore, Corpses, Body Horror, Discrimination, Drug Use & Withdrawal, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Imprisonment, Cannibalism, Conscription, Anxiety & Panic Attacks, Abandonment, Fire & Burn Injuries, Racism, Religious Bigotry, Torture

After I Finished The Cost of Runes

I finished The Cost of Runes while on a flight to Alaska. Before I got on the plane, I planned for that, loading a few more books onto my Kobo device and a couple physical books into my bag. It was one of the physical books I’d decided to reach for. The hardback novella had been sitting on my TBR pile for longer than it should have after I picked it up on one of my indie bookstore adventures. It’s from an author whose voice I loved at my very first encounter with one of her books. She’s been on my auto-buy list ever since, but I’ve still only gotten to a small fraction of her books. I was very happy to cross another one off the list.

My next review will be for Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher.