The Dreamless by Jen Williams

The quick cut: A group continues to try to keep an eviloer from achieving full god status in this sequel fantasy story. 

A real review: 

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review. 

  The one inevitability we all have in life is that we live and then we die. No one escapes the ending - we all return to the ground we came from. What if you died only to return to life once again? What would you do with the time you were suddenly given? This is a question for Elver. 

 Elver was sacrificed by Mother Maura, only to return back to life once again. She's been changed though as she's become even less human and a lot more monster. Artair/Lucian may be sharing a body, but they definitely still have their problems with one another. As this group continues to try and keep Mother Maura from achieving full god status, they find themselves running from enemies at every turn. Can they keep Maura from achieving her goal? 

 I loved the first book in this duology and in the beginning, I definitely enjoyed this sequel. The further in the second book I got though, the less I enjoyed it and it seems like the author left it open for the possibility of another book. Is this staying as a duology? I expected more of a closure at the end here. 

 Oh, Elver. I can't even imagine the headspace and yet she's as charming as ever here. There were a couple of moments where I just wanted to hug her. The whole sequence with the ducks? It probably seems really small,  but it warmed my heart how she wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, but she wanted to find a way to make everyone in that situation happy. It was also a great way to showcase her abilities and how she grapples with what she is now able to do. 

 Artair & Lucian are working together better this book now that they have a better understanding of one another, but sharing a body can't ever be simple. It did feel like there was so much action and adventure that the character dynamics took a backseat this time. If you prefer a story with deeper worldbuilding, this will definitely be a fit for you because the focus felt there with the gods and the activity. 

 A world focused fantasy in this final book of a duology. 

My rating: 3 out of 5