The Book of Peril by Melissa McShane Series: The Last Oracle #2
on July 3rd 2018
Also by this author: The Book Of Secrets
Also in this series: The Book Of Secrets
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 189
Format: ebook
Goodreads
As the custodian of the oracular bookstore Abernathy’s, Helena has faced any number of challenges in learning her new role. But when the store begins giving out false prophecies, Helena comes up against her greatest challenge yet: how can she fix Abernathy’s when she doesn’t truly know how it works?
Armed only with a few special talents and her desire to protect her magical charge, and with the assistance of her best friend Viv, her reluctant assistant Judy, and the enigmatic and handsome Malcolm Campbell, Helena must navigate the treacherous depths of the magical world, where secret enemies lurk behind illusions capable of fooling even the most powerful of magical entities. Helena is the only one who can see past those illusions, but will her abilities prove strong enough to save the oracle?
After reading The Book of secrets, I looked forward to the sequel and I had the opportunity to read the ARC of The Book of Peril via NetGalley. If you haven’t read The Book of Secrets yet, check out my review and the book. There might be minor spoilers ahead.
Helena Davies had been the custodian of Abernathy’s for months now, with Judy Rasmussen as her assistant. Helena is getting used to her duties when the oracle makes a mistake. The oracle has shown its personality before, but this was weird. She has no idea what’s causing it and it worries her. Then her ex-boyfriend tries everything in his power to convince her to come back.
I loved the first book in The Last Oracle series, but this one is just as good. It’s fast-paced and McShane doesn’t waste words. It might be on the short side, but I don’t really mind. It’s the perfect size for this story. There is absolutely no need to add more.
All the returning characters continue to build on their relationship with each other. Some relationships change, but it’s clear that the characters are getting to know each other better and the impressions change since most of them were based on prejudges. There is no direct conflict (except between Helena and Chet), but the events help the characters to see another side of the others.
I give The Book of Peril 4,5 stars. There are some cheesy lines in there that don’t add much to the story and only contribute to breaking my suspension of disbelief. Without these, it would be a solid 5-star rating. If you don’t mind such lines, see this as a 5-star rating. Read this if you have read and liked the first one. You won’t regret it. For the readers who didn’t, go read it.
