“Comet Rising” by MarcyKate Connolly

Comet Rising is the second novel in the Shadow Weaver duology, a middle-grade fantasy story about a girl who can manipulate shadows. I read the first book, Shadow Weaver, last year and enjoyed it and was eager to read its sequel when I learned it was available.

Genre:

Middle-grade fantasy

Series:

Shadow Weaver, book 2

Pubbed:

January 2019

Goodreads summary:

Something is very wrong with the sky…

Emmeline and Lucas are safe from Lady Aisling and her soldiers for the time being. The only thing that mars their peaceful life is Emmeline’s former shadow, Dar. Still shut in her cage, she constantly tries to manipulate Emmeline to set her free.

Then one night the Cerelia Comet, the reason for their magical abilities, returns… Twelve years too early. The return of the comet can only mean one thing, Lady Aisling has a sky shaker under her control and is hoping for a new batch of talented children to add to her collection.

Emmeline and Lucas journey to find other talented children who can help in the fight against Lady Aisling. But when Dar escapes, and the two friends realize many of the children they seek have already been taken, it’s clear the sky shaker might be the least of their worries.

The thrilling conclusion to MarcyKate Connolly’s Shadow Weaver duology follows Emmeline and Lucas as they face the darkness that has shadowed their lives. (Goodreads)

My thoughts:

The duology is set in a world where some people are blessed, or cursed, with an extraordinary ability when the Cerelia Comet passes once every 12 years. The protagonist, Emmeline, is one such individual. She’s has the ability to manipulate shadows. This gets her in trouble in the first book in which she learns that because she has such a talent, she’s at risk of getting abducted by a noble woman called Lady Aisling who eats people’s extraordinary talents.

While Shadow Weaver focused on getting the reader accustomed to the world by making her learn more about it as Emmeline does, Comet Rising focuses on the risks and conflicts touched on in the first book. In Comet Rising, we learn more about Lady Aisling and her relationship with Dar. We also encounter other talented children as Emmeline and her friend Lucas tries to find and rally them and their parents to oppose and defeat Lady Aisling.

But as rousing and adventurous as that sounds, I was not thrilled by Comet Rising. I thought it progressed too quickly in some spots and didn’t believe Emmeline and Lucas capable of navigating the land and finding other talented individuals. Those two were very sheltered by their parents and did not know much about the network of talented individuals. Though I believe they are smart kids, I could not believe that they were able to figure it all out so quickly. I also think they travelled too fast considering that they went on foot the entire way. It made me wonder at the distance between the places they visited.

But these were minor issues. The story was fun to read and it was cool to see what other talents popped up. I liked the innovativeness of the network’s safe houses, especially the tree house, and thought the parents who were changed by Lady Aisling were very creepy. Unfortunately, I didn’t find Comet Rising as atmospheric and haunting as Shadow Weaver nor as memorable, but it was an okay read.

I like how the children chose to handle Lady Aisling for the bad deeds she has done and that the story focused on second chances and showing mercy without forcing such messages on the reader.