Myth-Touched (Shadows of Eireland #2), by Joanna Maciejewska
The Book
Synopsis:
In the war, being hunted by mythborn was day to day life. Peacetime had changed things, but myth-touched Kaja never expected to be hunted alongside the mythborn…
With her life hanging by a thread, Kaja had little time to consider Eithne’s offer of aid. Now, free of her affliction, she bears the consequences of that decision. Stuck among her former enemies, caught navigating the nuances of lies and politics, she’s presented with little choice but to accept the out offered by Cathal, leader of the Scáthanna.
But Cathal and his team have troubles of their own as an invisible enemy haunts their steps. If Kaja helps them, she’ll be targeted as well, and when dealing with a faceless enemy, the only way to survive is by carefully choosing allies and tempering trust.
Failure could cost their lives.
My Review
Myth-Touched is the second book in the urban fantasy series Shadows of Eireland, written by Joanna Maciejewska; direct sequel to Humanborn, we pick shortly after its ending. Kaja has become a myth-touched, but becoming accepted in the Court is not easy for somebody with her past. Eithne seems decided to keep her there, and eventually, Kaja ends joining the Scathanna, the elite force of the Court with the hopes of start getting into the action.
Navigating the difficult web of politics and conspirations that compose the Court is an ardous task for Kaja, but at least her hard work has paid off. However, she's not still safe from danger, as there's an assassin targeting her new mates; trust needs to be developed if they want to confront this threat and protect their members.
In this sequel, Maciejewska takes the opportunity to explore and flesh more aspects of the Court and the Mythborn, all through the eyes of Kaja and her difficult situation: partly magical after the ritual, but still not fit into the Court (a small parallelism could be drawn with immigration); at the same time, we are able to see a Kaja that is working harder to become accepted.
The pacing is slightly slower at the start, but never losing the sense of urgency that has characterized the two books of this saga; and it picks up progressively once the mystery gets unraveled. Many new characters are introduced, some more relatable than others, but add some variety to our story; some really get to you, especially those members of the Scathanna that end becoming a family for Kaja, after enduring all the difficulties.
I cannot say much more without going into spoilers, but I can assure you that I devoured this book; Myth-Touched is another excellent instalment in the Shadows of Eireland saga, perfect if you like urban fantasy. Can't wait to see how Kaja's story continue in the third book.
The Author/s
Joanna Maciejewska
Joanna might be a bit too cautious to do anything even remotely daring or dangerous herself, so she writes about daring adventures and dangerous magic instead. Yet, she found enough courage to abandon her life in Poland and move to Ireland, and then some years later, she abandoned her life in Ireland to move over to the US. She’s determined to settle there, once she finally chooses which state to reside in.
When she’s not writing or thinking about writing, she plays video games or makes amateur art. She lives the happy life of a recluse, surrounded by her husband, a stuffed red monkey, and a small collection of books she insisted on hauling across two continents.