The throne is redeemed, but the battle is just beginning. In the dark corners of an ancient land, evil lurks in the shadows. Powerful druids haunt the spaces of their lost territory. Double-minded noblemen fight for domain and influence. Invaders from the north threaten the kingdom of Magnus. This land of promise and redemption is mired in deceit and corruption.
The Orphan King, once victorious in conquest, appears to be losing his grip on his seat of power. Thomas rules Magnus, but does not know whom he can trust. His enemies anticipate his every move, thwarting him at each turn. Something is not right.
Under attack, both in the supernatural and natural worlds, Thomas must reach back into the secret layers of his past to find the strength and wisdom to fight his battles. When the mist clears, who will stand with him? (From Back Cover)
This is the 2nd book in the Merlin's Immortals(I'm guessing it's a series?) I reviewed the first book here, and I wasn't too thrilled with it, so I didn't have overly high hopes for this book. My honest opinion of this book isn't very high. It's been a while since I read the Orphan King so I had to read through the beginning again. From what I remember of the first book this one wasn't as confusing. When the first book ended I was left with a lot of unanswered questions and some curiosity, and this book proved to be no different in that aspect. Though I found it disappointing that many of the questions from the first book were hardly answered in this book. I also struggled a little with the main character, Thomas. While I admired his bravery, intelligence, and resourcefulness, he sometimes seemed too perfect. He always kept his cool, always knew what to do, and never seemed to truly struggle with anything other than discovering the secret of Magnus. While discovering Magnus' secret is the main idea of the whole series, normal things that would bother most people didn't seem to bother him. I know the main character is supposed to be the hero, but this guy had no flaws!
I love characters that are so flawed that it seems like there is no way possible that they can do what they need to. Thomas wasn't like that.
While I loved the overall plot and some of the other elements, (mainly the battle tactics and the archery surprises) I struggle with the characters, and how easy everything seemed.
There was also a bit of a strange love triangle. Both girls were really too much a like for Thomas to have much of a preference, except that one was on the "good team" and the other on the "bad team". He doesn't lose much either way. Please remember this is just my opinion! It's not solid fact by any means!
I did like this book better than the first one, but I wasn't crazy about the first one. To be fair, there were many moments were I enjoyed the story, though I'm not sure there were enough to redeem it for me. I probably won't be overly eager to read the next book.
Title - Fortress of Mist
Author - Sigmund Brouwer
Series/Trilogy Title - Merlin's Immortals
Book Number - #2
Pages - 217
Type of Book - YA Historical Fiction
Website - http://www.sigmundbrouwer.com/
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