Having survived high school, Siobhan and Owen are off to fulfill Owen’s obligation to serve in the Oil Watch. This means leaving Trondheim and what they’ve build there for whatever assignment Owen is handed. It quickly becomes clear that Owen and Siobhan are going to have to prove themselves all over again, and this time, the stakes are even higher.
There’s a lot to like about this book. I appreciated the fact that both Owen and Siobhan are dealing with the fallout of the last book. The fact that they are also away from the support system that they’ve built changes the status quo and keeps things interesting. We also get to know a new cast of characters which is fun. Things that have been briefly alluded to like the Oil Watch are expanded upon, and we get a more global perspective on dragon slaying and the world that they characters inhabit. However, the ending of this book is what is going to make it or break it for readers. I think it works, but I also know that as a teenager, it would not be the ending I wanted. Spoilers from here on out.
Owen dies slaying a dragon. He knew it was going to happen and made that choice anyway. And it’s clear that the Thorskards were expecting this to happen at some point, though it’s clear that the original plan was for it to be Lottie to make that sort of sacrifice. It’s a gut punch that the reader isn’t really expecting. One the one hand, once Owen dies, it becomes clear why Siobhan was the narrator, and it’s a genuinely emotional ending. The grief certainly feels very real. But on the other, the ending after Owen dies feels a little rushed and while it’s clear that Siobhan is going to continue the work that she and Owen started, other than that it’s sort of unclear what they’ve accomplished or what comes next.
Spoilers over with. While this book wasn’t as strong as the first one, this duology is pretty good, and it’s definitely a unique take. Three out of five stars.