The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress) (original 2010; udgave 2010)

(My video reviewing the whole series can be found here: https://youtu.be/5pTfKp2QW-o )

I enjoyed this book a lot. With the first installment, my only real complaint had been that the characters were too overpowered and survived too many deadly things. This time around, they felt less overpowered to me, although idk if this was because I was used to them or because they were portrayed as less overpowered. There were definitely still some fatal wounds that were survived, although I did feel there was a little bit more explanation of why the characters were able to survive this time around. Also, I felt as though the characters were constantly being brought within reach of death, only for the fatal swing to be somehow interrupted. It's the kind of thing I think an author can get away with once per work, but it had to have happened at least three separate times in this book.

All that being said, the story was very interesting. I still like the magic system of this world a lot, and the new characters that were brought in to expand upon what we see of the magic in this world definitely caught my interest. I was also glad to get more insight into Nico, who is one of my favorite characters. I will definitely be continuing on with this series. ( )

The Spirit Rebellion is the second in The Legend of Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron. The story takes a slightly darker turn as Miranda deals with the results of her actions from the first book and Eli is on to his next robbery.

Thanks to their escape in Mellinor, Niko needs a new coat. Who better to make a customer coat for her rather specific needs than a master Shaper wizard? Which, of course, comes with a high cost: an incredibly rare, if useless, sword made from bone metal. The catch? The easiest one to steal happens to be kept in the "thief proof" citadel of the Duke of Gaol. As a master thief this presents the ultimate challenge, even though the closer they get to Gaol the more it looks like a trap aimed specifically at Eli. After all, what is life without a little risk? Meanwhile, Miranda returns to the Spirit Court having failed in her mission to capture Eli Monpress. It looks as if Miranda's career as a Spiritualist may be in jeopardy.

Impossible object for Eli to steal? Check. Evil, OCD bad guy who is hell bent on capturing Eli? Check. Lots of oppressed spirits? Check. More about demonseeds? Check. This book takes the foundation Aaron has laid down and builds upon it. We even get a little more background on Eli. And quite a bit of fast paced action. About the only thing we don't get is too much more depth in the other characters. I hope that Miranda, Niko and Josep are fleshed out a bit more in the third installment.

You still can't go wrong if you're looking for a nice, lighter fantasy to read. This one hit the spot. ( )

I liked this much better than the first book. Better pacing and a lot more character development.

Having read book 2, the first book almost feels like a prologue and in that context I like it better. ( )

Fast moving story following the further adventures of Eli Monpress as he tackles a treasure in a supposedly thief-proof citadel. He's walking into a certain trap, which is just what he enjoys doing.
The secondary plot follows Miranda, the person charged with capturing him in the previous book and her struggles with bureaucracy and officious political manoeuvring.
Great characters and plenty of hair-raising adventure. ( )

I loved the first novel in this series, and the second is at least as good.

The plot is rather basic, but works. More importantly, the characters develop, as does the world- so various of the opposing trends get both more complicated and yet easier to understand. It's complicated... but that's what makes it fun.

You could probably start with this novel, but you'd be missing a lot of important world-building.

I am really enjoying this series a lot. I especially like that even those who end up more-or-less on the same side still have serious disagreements; I get tired of novels where all the "good guys" automatically band together- with little impetus- and with no respect to their fundamental disagrements... but neither do these novels spend all the energy on bickering. VERY nicely done! ( )