Twice Dead by Caitlin Seal Review
Hello Again! Another week is gone and October starts in 2 days! Before that happens though, I wanted to share my thoughts on the ARC I finished earlier this week. Without further ado, enjoy!
Twice Dead by Caitlin Seal
Length: 336 Pages
Publication Date: 09/18/18
Genre: YA Fantasy
Story Development: (Talk about development)
Romance: (Talk about romance)
Protagonist Strength: Above Average
Re-readable? Yes
Received From: Net Galley
Naya, the daughter of a sea merchant captain, nervously undertakes her first solo trading mission in the necromancer-friendly country bordering her homeland of Talmir. Unfortunately, she never even makes it to the meeting. She's struck down in the streets of Ceramor. Murdered. But death is not the end for Naya. She awakens to realize she's become an abomination--a wraith, a ghostly creature bound by runes to the bones of her former corpse. She's been resurrected in order to become a spy for her country. Reluctantly, she assumes the face and persona of a servant girl named Blue. She never intended to become embroiled in political plots, kidnapping, and murder. Or to fall in love with the young man and former necromancer she is destined to betray.
I've had this ARC in my archive for about 5 months now and never started because the idea of a novel about necromancy was not intriguing. However, I took a shot this month and it payed off! This is the author's first book and it's done pretty well.
I enjoyed the characters presented in this book as well as their development. naya, our main protagonist, goes through quite a bit of trauma early on in the book. She's written very relatably, in reaction to this trauma which makes her development progress smoothly. Corten, another character, maintains some mystery but there's more than enough potential for him in future books. In addition to these, Naya's father, Ambassador Valn, and Lucia the necromancer enhance Naya's development and add complexity to the plot.
Although the necromancy is the main component of this book, there is a certain element of romance that develops between Naya and Corten. I like the way there relationship progresses more naturally than some other book romances and I like the way their relationship was left up in the air at the end of the book.
I enjoyed the way this story develops because we learn elements about the plot as Naya does. It makes the plot hard to predict which I really enjoy. Although I did have inklings about certain aspects of the plot which ended up being confirmed, but it was still a great story. I also enjoyed how this story included multiple climaxes, it made each phase of the plot more and more interesting.
Overalll, this was an interesting read with some great plot and character developments. It's changed my opinion about necromancy and I will try to give more ARCs a fair chance before judging them. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!
