Eurik and Leraine have escaped the land of the necromancers, but still face a long journey. Eurik is looking for answers about who his parents were and how they ended up adrift at sea. Leraine must carry the news of her teacher’s death back home, yet also has a debt to Eurik for helping her to avenge Irelith.
Together, they’ll have to traverse the Neisham Hills, where lone travelers are snatched in the night and even numbers don’t guarantee safety. And beyond the hills, all along the long Inza Road, the drums of war beat louder and louder.–from the blurb about The Road Ahead
But the greatest threat may not be goblins, elves, or bandits. It may be the people they’ve chosen to travel with.
A big thank you to Pemry Janes for providing me with a digital copy for review! You can find out more about him and his work on his official site.
Back in April, I reviewed Pemry Janes’ debut book: The Living Sword. It was a short but enjoyable epic fantasy story that left me excited to find out what happened next. So, obviously, when Pemry asked if I’d be interested in reviewing book 2, I was more than happy to agree.
It took me a while to get around to it, but I’m excited to share my review of The Road Ahead with you today. And I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed with this second installment in the series.
But keep reading to find out more about what I did and didn’t like in the book!
Review
The first point I want to make is that I loved the extended world-building in this book. Janes took what he’d already established in the first book and added to that. As Eurik and Leraine traveled, we got to see more of this fictional universe, with everything from rabid elves to immortals being introduced. Also, I especially liked the little bits of history woven into the narrative; I always love when authors put that level of care and detail into world-building.
All in all, I enjoyed all the layers involved in this world and how realistic it felt.
As for the characters, I enjoyed getting to learn more about them. Although I do think there could’ve been a little more character growth, I liked what was present. Additionally, there was a significant amount of development in the previous book, especially considering its short length, so I do appreciate how that factors in. And I quite liked all the new characters who were introduced; even though some of them weren’t there for very long, they were incredibly interesting and I would’ve liked to learn more about them.
Captain Sylvair was especially intriguing, and I really enjoyed the parts of the story that involved him. I was impressed with the development Janes was able to give him, despite the fact that he wasn’t on-screen for all that long.
Oh, and of course Misthell, Eurik’s living and talking sword, continued to be the best character in the story. I don’t know how Janes managed to give a sword such an excellent personality, but here we are.
And, finally, I really enjoyed the plot. The pacing, to be honest, could have used some improvement, but overall, the story was exciting and kept me entertained for the entirety of the book. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book–which I will be reading sometime soon, I promise!
TL,DR Recommendation
So, all things considered, I do recommend reading this one if you’re a fan of epic fantasy books! With excellent world-building and a plethora of well-written characters, there’s plenty of love about The Road Ahead. (Though, obviously, you should read the first book, first.)
If you do choose to read this, feel free to drop a comment below and let me know your thoughts on it! Or, you can jump over and say something on my Bookstagram. I always love to talk about books, after all. Additionally, if you enjoyed this review of The Road Ahead, you can use the Book Review tab above to find all of my book reviews.
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