Anassa: Book 2

By Author / Illustrator

Josh Martin

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Hachette Children's Group

ISBN

9781784298265

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

08-02-2018

Synopsis

A compelling fantasy adventure with a strong feminist message, for fans of Melinda Salisbury and Victoria Aveyard.

Less than a year since their cities were joined, the people of Athenas and Metis are still arguing. When the island is invaded by Vulcan, whose resource-ravaged, overpopulated island wants to claim Chloris as its own, Etain's new leadership is compromised. The only way she can restore her people's confidence and save her island is to take up a sea quest to retrieve a magical item from a volcano. Alongside her brother Taurus, Etain sets sail for the volcano. But they soon discover there is more to the quest than they realised.

It's up to Etain to be the leader she is destined to be. Should she fight, or should she try to unite?

'Impressive and thought-provoking - this is a skilfully constructed fantasy adventure with strong, distinct central characters and an ending that will have readers desperate for the next episode.' LoveReading4Kids on Ariadnis

Reviews

This is Book 2 to Ariadnis. Due to the unexpected twist at the end of Book 1, Etain is now the leader of the only remaining island on Erthe ( not a spelling mistake) and it's not going well since the people are against her. Metisians and Athenasians still hate each other and Etain is at a loss as to how to control them. I think there is a message in this book and it's a good one about how to take care of the planet and not destroy it. The book also attempts to show the consequences of modern society and human greed for power. However, Once again I found that this story was very slow to develop and confusing as there are so many characters and events to keep track of. This time I believe that the YA reader will be able to relate more to Etain and Taurus and their relationship. I loved the concept but wasn't fully satisfied with the delivery of this next stage in the journey. The vocabulary in this book seems to be harder and would only really suit a confident reader. The chapters are long but once again, thankfully the author has split them up between two or three narratives. I found that it made the book easier to read; some less confident readers may find it confusing. Anassa has 355 pages suitable for 14+ readers who enjoy fantasy dystopian novels. Oh, and one little warning, if you don't like spiders, you might want to read it carefully!! 355 pages / Ages 14+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.