The Speaker by Traci Chee

Having barely escaped the clutches of the Guard, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move. Haunted by painful memories, Archer struggles to overcome the trauma of his past with the impressors, whose cruelty plagues him whenever he closes his eyes. But when Sefia and Archer happen upon a crew of impressors in the wilderness, Archer finally finds a way to combat his nightmares: by hunting impressors and freeing the boys they hold captive.

With Sefia’s help, Archer travels across the kingdom of Deliene rescuing boys while she continues to investigate the mysterious Book and secrets it contains. But the more battles they fight, the more fights Archer craves, until his thirst for violence threatens to transform him from the gentle boy Sefia knows to a grim warrior with a cruel destiny. As Sefia begins to unravel the threads that connect Archer’s fate to her parents’ betrayal of the Guard so long ago, she and Archer must figure out a way to subvert the Guard’s plans before they are ensnared in a war that will pit kingdom against kingdom, leaving their future and the safety of the entire world hanging in the balance.@goodreads 

The girl is back. The boy is back. The book is back. The magic is back.

*I have to add that these two books in this series are freaking gorgeous in person and have the deckle edges. I love to pet them =)

Argo flipped him onto his back, straddled his chest, and raised a hand to strike.

In that moment, the nameless boy understood: This was the end. He was going to die.

He would cease to breathe. Cease to be. Cease to hurt. It would be easy.

But he didn't want to die.

And knowing that, knowing he wanted to live, however hard it was, however much it hurt, something opened up inside of him, something hidden and ugly and powerful.

Argo slowed.

Everything slowed.

••••••••••

Summoning her Sight again, she flicked her fingers. In the Illuminated world, the threads of light tightened and sprang back like bowstrings, sending ripples through the bands of gold. Ten yards away, on the slope leading toward Cascarra, a dead branch cracked.

Sefia and Archer are back and they make a bad ass team. Poor Archer is plagued with nightmares of his past, what he was forced to be, a killer.

Sefia has the book and reading the future and trying to find help right some wrongs her parents did and together they will help many.

Sefia and Archer are going around helping to free kidnapped boys that were forced to become killers or be killed themselves. They are also trying to put a stop to the evil people that are doing this. Some bloody battles ensue.

I don't want to say any more because I'm afraid I will leak a spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved this book even more than the first book and I loved it a lot too! I really hope they can accomplish what they are setting out to do in the next book. So far they have made a step in the right direction. I hope! *tiny sob*

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2191082325