Sacrifice by Catherine M. Walker

Jen reviews Sacrifice, the second book in Catherine M. Walker‘s fantasy series, Emergence.

Review(s) of previous book(s): Unwanted

Thank you so much to Catherine M. Walker for the ecopy (which was an early ARC to give you an idea of how far behind I am)!

Sometimes the greatest battles are fought on the inside…

In the Warlord’s domain, there is one unbendable no human trafficking. Anyone caught undertaking such a crime can only wish for a swift death—for themselves and anyone they hold dear. As the Warlord prepares for the Sylannian invasion in the mountains, the Unwanted ride across the domain warning their people to get to safety.

The Unwanted are drawn from their duty to deal with Damien who is caught up in the grip of his addiction and struggling to free himself. The mission to rescue their newest recruit unwittingly sheds light on a source of the persistent rumours and betrayal that will undercut the security of the entire Warlord’s domain.

High in the mountain plains among the Kallith clan, cracks are starting to show as they try to re-establish themselves in a new land. Khaliun and Tarkhan break ranks to embark on an impossible rescue with devastating results that risk exposing all that remains of the People to Sylanna.

In the islands the Sylannians call home, the king still has plans for the barbarians and his sister. Jaclyn dances on a knife edge, as she desperately tries to save her house without bringing destruction down on the kingdom.

As each group formulates its strategies, it is the Unwanted who must navigate their way through it all. With attacks threatened on all fronts, as powerful as the Unwanted are, they can only be in one place at once. And the most insidious enemy might be one of their own.

“Michael spared a glance at her and Khaliun’s breath caught as fire seemed to dance in the man’s eyes, lick down his arms and shine from his armour and blade. She swallowed as she finally noticed they were all consumed and bathed in the power they drew.”

The Warrior by Zayde Wolf

I had a heck of a time finding a song that suited this story. I wanted an up-beat fun sound and had originally chosen Reckless Child by Milky Chance but then I ran across The Warrior and it felt a little more appropriate to all of the cast and not just to Damien.

I first read Unwanted last spring for the SPFBO contest and fell in love with the characters and the neat world that Catherine had built around them. I’ve been really looking forward to following up on everyone in this newest book, Sacrifice! Be aware of possible spoilers ahead for events from book one though I’ll try to gloss over the good stuff where I can.

Sacrifice picks up pretty much where Unwanted ended, making it easy to fall back into the story but it still took me a little time to settle in just because this is a big world with multiple POV characters and a ton of in-world stuff to do with cultures/magic and the politics between them. Mostly though I just needed a little time to place everyone in my head and remember what trouble they were getting themselves into.

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Damien and the Unwanted were a favourite part of the story last time around and he/they still are.
Though I did really like Stephen here too. I mentioned in my review of Unwanted that his part in the first book felt a little pointless, so it was nice to see where that was headed. Plus, anytime a character has to step up to the plate and realize how much of a spoiled loser they’ve been, is always a little fun for me to see.

Anyway…

Damien has a rough road ahead of him – after years of using tiscan to control his veil magic, Damien now is realizing that it has come at a steep price that no one in his little village understood – it’s super addictive and now he has to learn to live without it.

A lot of the first section of Sacrifice is focused on the fall-out of growing up on tiscan for Damien, and that need for its use. That need also leads to the Unwanted inadvertently discovering some key info which helps spur on the rest of the story. Of course, there’s so much more going on here, and with everyone else for that matter, but he’s my fave and I have limited talking space.

Again, I loved the whole Unwanted squad and the support they have for one another and not just to Damien, but also for like Olivia and dealing with her family and also the other members’ problems. They’re just fun and easy together and I love the humour and the jokes between them.

And my favourite brat Aiden, is up to no good; ensuring you don’t want to miss the next book because Aiden has some nasty little tricks up his sleeve that, hopefully, it’s not too spoilery to say- ended the book with me wanting to strangle the little shit.

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We also see a lot more of Jacylyn and her clan in Sacrifice. The way their family units work is still so interesting – there is this whole subplot where the likelihood of madness taking down the Monarchy may stem from the way they connect to their men, through their veil magic. We saw hints about this possibility in the last book but it moves to the forefront here, as we learn more about the inner workings of their society and the power-plays going on at home and it’s just really fascinating dynamics all around with the way their clans work.

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And last but not least, there are the Hallaran clans. Their fight with the Syllanians last book had them retreating into the Unwanted’s territory, leaving behind friends in their escape.

A plan to rectify that mistake has Tarkhan managing to get himself in almost as much trouble as Damien; maybe more if that’s possible. Damien at least has the Unwanted to rely on, but Tarkhan is finding himself captive in a strange land with no will of his own. It should be a good time seeing how he gets out of this pickle.

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Honestly, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the events in Sacrifice. It’s a packed, fast-moving story that explores different cultures, friendships, and family. All while being filled to the brim with action, humour, and some cool magic. It’s just a fun popcorn kind of read – the kind you can kill a day with on your deck with a cool drink. (Or two, it is 600 pages)

I’ve had an enjoyable time with this series up to now and am looking forward to seeing how it closes.