Title: Deepwood
Author: Jennifer Roberson
Series: Karavans, Book 2
Publisher: DAW
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: Chicago Public Library
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Diviners have told Audrun that the child she carries must be born in a haven of peace, far from her war-scourged homeland, but as she flees she finds only far greater danger. For her karavan is overtaken by Alisanos, the deepwood?a dangerous magical forest that harbors not only demons, gods, and other otherwordly creatures, but also its own sinister intentions?and which may have already claimed Audrun and her child for its own.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Deepwood is the sequel to Karavans, and it follows a group of people who were traveling from a dangerous country that’s been taken over by invaders to a safe haven; however, they’re caught in a storm while on their way, and a dangerous magical forest — the deepwood — has decided to move, trapping some of the travelers inside its borders.
I was kind of bored at first; the book starts off following what happens to everyone in the aftermath of the storm, and there’s only so much I can take of characters facing misfortune after misfortune. Near the middle, things start coming together though, and it looks like a solid plot is developing for the third book in the series. I didn’t like Audrun’s story overly much; half of the time, she’s whining about her misfortune, and the other half she’s throwing herself into danger to save her children, even though she doesn’t accomplish anything by it. But, I do like her developing friendship with Rhuan and how he has to change his behavior to accommodate her frustrations.
My favorite parts is what’s going on with Ilona and her diviner powers; she loses them after the storm, and while she has a broken arm that might be affecting them, she is scared of what that might mean for her. I’m interested to see what her role will be in terms of how they deal with the new Deepwood borders. I also really liked the hints of war with the invaders of the country; people are chafing under the invading people’s rule, so it seems like their might be some sort of war or rebellion in the next book.
I really liked the first book; this one is less exciting, but it seems to be building a foundation for a great third book. And, like I said, the beginning was tough for me to get through, but halfway in, it starts picking up. I wouldn’t say this series is a must-read, but it’s certainly a great read if you’re looking for a decent new epic fantasy!
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