The Augur Davian and his new allies hurry north toward the ever-weakening Boundary, but fresh horrors along their path suggest that their reprieve may have come far too late.
The new Northwarden, his ally in the Capital, contends with assassins and politicians and uncovers a dangerous secret. Meanwhile, their compatriot Asha begins a secret investigation into the disappearance of the Shadows.
And Caeden races against time to fulfill a treacherous bargain, but as more and more of his memories return, he begins to realize that the two sides in this ancient war may not be as clear-cut as they first seemed. . .
Well, I brought this on myself.
It’s been a little over two years since I read THE SHADOW OF WHAT WAS LOST, the first book in James Islington’s LICANIUS TRILOGY. And I really loved that book, hard. So why put off the second book for so damn long that a lot of the story faded from my memory?
I have no clue. Ugh.
Thankfully, AN ECHO OF THINGS TO COME includes a pretty through recap of the first book. That, on top of my own memories of the story, and the character guide & glossary at the end of the book made diving back into this world at least somewhat easier. But still, it took a lot for me to get my bearings back in this story, which I hope will really serve as a reminder to not put things off like that again, if possible.
I am not going to agonize over writing a detailed review for a few reasons. Mostly, I’m just trying to cut myself a bit of slack when it comes to book reviewing. And it’s also been awhile since I finished the book.
But also, as much as I enjoyed AN ECHO OF THINGS TO COME, to me it felt like there wasn’t a whole lot that happened to advance the plot until the last 150-200 pages. There’s a great deal of backstory and character development, which are of course critical elements in any good fantasy novel. But when all was said and done, I couldn’t help feeling like this one could have been a bit shorter.
In many ways, Caeden’s story really takes center stage here, and we get lots of backstory about who he really was/is via extended flashback sequences. The implications of some of these moments are huge, and really drive the narrative forward.
Asha’s POV continues to be my favorite in this trilogy, and in AN ECHO OF THINGS TO COME, she really goes through a lot of growth and change. Her desire to learn more about herself and the Shadows leads her into some extremely dangerous situations, but through Asha we learn a lot about the magic in this world.
Wirr’s storyline is where we get the heaviest dose of politics in this book, as he tries to navigate his way from a position of great power, amidst large groups of people who hate the very idea of him. Some of this hatred comes from his immediate family, which leads to some uncomfortable & heartbreaking scenes. But there’s also some levity in Wirr’s chapters, mostly provided by Andyn, Wirr’s bodyguard. These two have some great scenes together.
Ishelle is a character that we spend a lot more time with here, and someone I absolutely adored in this book. All told, Davian’s story felt a little bit like… like just spinning wheels until he can get to the Boundary. But his friendship with Ishelle really kept me interested, and she serves as a great counterpoint to Davian’s somewhat buttoned-up personality.
All told, I really did enjoy this. Clearly, the amount of work that James Islington has put into creating this world is staggering. I just found myself looking for a bit more action, and a few less flashbacks. This book very effectively sets the stage for an epic finale though, and I do plan on reading THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS sometime in the next few months!
Grimdark Dad 
I ADORE that series as a whole. It is one of the best complete stories I’ve read in a long, long time. You are in for a TREAT with the next book.
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