Ward and Celia are still fleeing from the bounty hunters that have been chasing them down. When they finally manage to get rid of a few of them, they find a mansion that holds someone more dangerous than the hunters. Celia is ready to steal a few supplies and go, but Ward knows he has to stop the evil that lurks around them before it kills them.
WARD AGAINST DARKNESS by Melanie Card contains such an incredible setting. The necromancer background to the story is completely fascinating, and I love the twists Card throws into this world and the new powers Ward discovers. It is utterly mesmerizing, and the story just flies by.
Ward, reluctant as he is, is one of my favorite heroes. He has such a strong heart, and I love his surprising bravery that even he doesn't realize he has. The romantic tension between Ward and Celia is heart pounding, and the one thing I wanted to see more of was kissing! You nearly get exhausted for them from all of their close encounters. However, I definitely do love getting to see their bond strengthen without much physical contact. It does highlight how deep their personalities are connected and how well they work together.
The plot also has super exciting parts that are hard to see coming. One character verges so close to be going or bad that I couldn't tell until the very end which side the character fell on. Card does a great job of making the main villain, Macerio, ruthless and dark. His sinister attitude up against Ward's healing and kind attitude is a wonderful contrast and reflects Ward's growth as a character so well.
If you enjoy dark, action filled stories, this would be an excellent one to try. It is the second in a series, but I didn't read the first before reading WARD AGAINST DARKNESS, and Card does a fabulous job of reflecting back on the first book without dragging anything on. I will go back and read the first now, just because I want more of these characters!
The last thing Ward deโAth wants is more trouble. On the
run
from both the law and the criminal underworld, Ward and
Celia flee Brawenal City only to stumble into the mansion
of
a powerful evil necromancer. When Ward discovers the man
possesses a dangerous spell book, his duty leaves him no
choice: get the book and get out. Unfortunately, human
and
undead monsters block every winding corridor and Ward has
no
way of telling whoโs friend or foe. The only person he
can
trust is Celia, who dominates more of his thoughts and
feelings every day. But there are laws in the way of
anything except friendship. Sheโs still dead and heโs
still
alive . . . for now.
EXCERPT
More men barreled toward them. They had to keep running.
Ward pushed away from the tree, his feet slipping on the
wet
leaves and mud. His rucksack pounded against his hip, his
illegal book on surgery and equally illegal case of
surgical
implements a weight pulling not just on his body, but his
soul, as well.
Of course, it hadnโt been surgery that had gotten him
into
this mess, but necromancy.
It had been his only career option after getting kicked
out
of the physicianโs academy, and his first job, to wake
Celia, had turned his life upside down and set it on fire
for good measure.
The trees opened up, and beyond lay the hint of black sky
dotted with stars. But the sky, framed by gray clouds,
was
too low. It lay in front of him, not just above him. With
a
jolt, a single word formed on the tip of his tongue.
Cliff.
The sky meant a cliff.
He skidded to a halt, smashing into a jagged stone
outcrop.
Pain shot up his leg, and he bit back another cry. Celia
slammed into his back. He stumbled forward, grasping at
the
outcrop and teetering on the edge.
Far below, water rushed gray and frothy, spilling over
its
banks, swollen from the days and nights of summer
downpour.
The cliff face was sheer. Not much hope for finding
handholds to climb down, even if it werenโt slippery with
rainfall. And theyโd be exposed during the descent. Easy
targets for the bounty hunters and their arrows.
He turned to Celia. She was already scanning the area but
hadnโt dragged him in a different direction because there
were no other pathsโtheyโd run through a break in the
rock
wall hidden by shadows and thick pines onto a wide ledge.
Steep granite towered above them. Not even a bush or
scrubby
tree clung to its side. They could try going up, but
faced
the same problem either way: target practice.
There was no place to go.
She grabbed his arm. โCast something.โ
โWhat?โ The last time heโd tried to use necromancy to
stop
someone, nothing had happened.
โThereโs no other option. Cast something.โ She lengthened
her stance and held her sword ready. โI can hold them off
for a little while.โ
โI canโt.โ Just because he wanted something didnโt make
it
possible. He wanted to go to Gyja, have another kiss with
Celia, live a long life, and myriad other things the Dark
Son was denying him.
โTry,โ she said with a growl.
Three thugs stormed through the break, swords drawn. In
the
moonlight, they looked like demons, with pale faces and
wild
eyes. Their shirts clung to well-muscled bodies, their
wet
hair hung limp about their faces. Wardโs heart thudded
against still painfully bruised ribs. He drew a breath.
For
what? He didnโt knowโto cry, fight, beg, or cast a
reverse
wake that would never work. There was no way heโd be able
to
shove the menโs souls from their bodies. But Celia was
going
to dieโฆagainโฆand he along with her.
The closest man swung at Celiaโs head. She blocked the
strike, dropping to one knee from the force of the blow.
Goddess, their options were death or the impossible.
She shoved her assailantโs sword to the side and kicked
him
in the gut. He stumbled back, but another man rushed into
his place with the third man at his side and two more
crowding behind. There were too many. The only place to
go
was over the cliff.
Of course. The cliff.
They might not survive the fall, but they wouldnโt
survive
at all if they stayed.
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