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The unknown orgins of Raim’s broken oath spiraled him into a life of exile. Now, months later, he’s no closer to figuring out the meaning of the broken vow than he was before. He finds it hard to care anymore, though. More important things are at stake.
His former best friend, now the tyrannical Khan of Darhan, is holding the girl Raim loves captive. Every day, he and Draikh learn more about their powers. But he will never be able to stop Khareh and free Wadi unless he can regain the trust of his people. To do that, he’ll have to find a way to break the binding of the oath that still scars him. Reluctantly, he begins a long journey to the dangerous South to find the maker of his oath and the truth about his past.
Meanwhile, in Khareh’s camp, Wadi is devising her own escape plan. But the more she learns about Kharek, the more confused she becomes. He’s done unquestionably horrific things, but he also has big dreams for Darhan that might save them from an even more dire situation.
There are rumors of a Southern king massing an army to invade Darhan. Unless the Northern tribes band together under a single ruler, they may not survive the attack.
With Raim and Kharah trapped on opposing sides, war is inevitable. Whoever conquers the desert wins the war. At the center of the desert lies Lazar, and both have set their sights on reaching the land of the exiles first.
The Shadow’s Curse picks up shortly after the events of The Oathbreaker’s Shadow, thrusting readers back into a world of broken promises and harsh landscapes. This time, though, in addition to the steppes and the desert, the author takes us deeper into Raim’s world, revealing unrelenting seas and faroff lands reminiscent of the Orient.
Unlike the first book, the action is strong from the start, hooking readers with thick tension and foreboding until the final pages.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this book were the relationships. While I was hoping for more development of Raim and Wadi’s relationship, their romance takes the back burner. (Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that’s definitely true in this story.) Instead, the real gem here was the relationship between Raim and Khareh — the friends turned enemies. Some connections are hard to break, and it was interesting to watch them deal with and develop from their regrets, as well as their loss of friendship.
Overall, The Shadow’s Curse is an emotional roller-coaster ride, coupled with unique magic and a compelling story. The Knot Sequence is a little-known young adult fantasy duology, but in my opinion, it’s well worth the read.
Rated: Mild. As with the first book, violence is a large part of the plot, though it is shown more through the larger shapes of actions rather than with details. War, battle, death, and conquest are portrayed. A man is trampled to death by beasts. A story is told of a how a child was physically injured. There are only 2 uses of mild language.
