Book Review
Title: Twice Dead
Author: Caitlin Seal
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance
Rating: ****
Review: So, I didn’t know much about Twice Dead, but the synopsis sounded very interesting, we are introduced to Naya, whose father is a merchant of some sort, but they live in a world where the dead can be reanimated. Her father sends her on her first solo outing to collect a signature for a trade deal from quite a tricky customer. However, Naya runs into trouble along the way when she learns she is being followed and has an encounter with one of the undead. For an opening chapter this certainly was gripping and given that I didn’t know much about the book going into it, I felt I made a good choice here.
When Naya awakens she learns that she died after being attacked and has been resurrected but not as one of the dead but as a wraith. Things take a stranger turn when she learns that her father has left her in the care of Ambassador Valn, a very important man where she is from, who has condoned her transformation despite the fact that necromancy is illegal. Naya learns from Valn that her father is a spy working to help uncover evidence to prove that the necromancers are planning another uprising like one that happened in the past and Naya was supposed to join them before her attack which is the reason they brought her back. Valn has arranged for Naya to take the place of a dead servant girl named Blue in order to make her work as a spy.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Naya is struggling to adjust to life as a wraith and the things she must do in order to survive but she trusts her father and is willing to go along with whatever he had planned for her, wraith or not. However, she is a strong-willed girl and I fear she might not adjust to the life of a servant and the restrictions this demands. She is introduced to Corten; a former apprentice of Lucia who teaches her to draw in the aether she needs to survive as a wraith as he is one as well. Naya really struggles with this as she still sees it as killing someone else rather than borrowing the energy they give off naturally, but she eventually gives in and takes what she needs. Despite forming a kinship with Corten, Lucia warns her to stay away from him as he will ask questions that could blow her cover but the problem Naya is having is that she doesn’t trust Lucia at all and that is making things extremely difficult.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Celia assesses Naya’s progress and she has improved greatly although it seems she is nervous about changing her appearance. However, we do learn that the necromancers they have been monitoring have improved the security around their homes for some reason. Against Lucia’s advice Naya visits Corten again and learns more about wraiths and learns that she has some unique abilities that aren’t wraith abilities but the abilities of a reaper that haven’t been seen since the time of the Mad King, making her even more adamant that Lucia is up to something and Corten isn’t sure what he is going to do about it just. Knowing she is a reaper and that Lucia made her one without Valn’s knowledge sets Naya even more against her creator.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Corten begins teaching Naya some basic wraith abilities like fading and changing their appearance and she slowly finds herself developing a much deeper bond to him than friendship. A month after her resurrection Celia gives Naya her first job and she is both parts excited and afraid, and her relationship with Corten is developing at a rate that is alarming to Naya. Corten also seems to have feelings for Naya or Blue as he tells her that if she considers leaving to tell him first. During her mission, Naya realises that even though she has these reaper abilities she can’t use them without giving herself away, but she does impress Celia enough to prove herself useful. However, her relationship with Lucia isn’t getting any better, in fact, it is getting worse as Lucia barely speaks to her and ignores her most of the time, but she finds some solace with Corten.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Naya has run into some problems that have left her fearing for her life and on the run. The only person she can turn to for help is Corten, but she isn’t sure despite Lucia’s assurance that he will help her when he realises how she has lied to him. While Corten doesn’t trust Naya anymore he does agree to contact the Council and find someone to help repair her bond, but before they can see Jalance they need her bones and Lucia’s notes from her workshop, but it is surrounded by guards. Naya uses a stupid plan to get the notes and bones and while she is almost caught they manage to escape but the damage to Naya bond need to be repaired quickly. Jalance after confirmed their story agrees to help them but he isn’t sure how long it will take to send work to the Council and repair Naya’s bond so for the meantime she and Corten are stuck in hiding. Their relationship is also falling apart in the absence of trust but Naya wants more than anything to repair their relationship.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, nothing has happened since they meet with Jalance, but Corten has admitted that he was falling in love with Naya as Blue but now he isn’t so sure how he feels and while Naya wants to work on their relationship she understands that there are bigger problems that need dealing with right now. As Naya prepares to meet the Council she still isn’t sure who she can trust as everyone she has trusted up until this point except Corten has betrayed her in some way. The necromancers, wraiths, undead and the single reaper of the Council decide they have to act when their captured friends are to be killed and Naya is determined to go with them. However, she must have her bond fixed first, but something goes wrong in the process and Naya’s bond is more unstable than ever despite having a new bone in place, but she is still determined to go to the palace despite the fact using too much aether could kill her again.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, Naya is captured due to another traitor and she learns the true motives of those behind the plot, that they plan to send two nations to war against and as one is completely undefended, many people will be slaughtered, and she can’t think of a way out this time. During her captivity, Naya comes across Lucia and together they form a plan especially since Naya’s bones seem to be healing themselves which is impossible for a wraith but then again Lucia experimented with the bond she carved into Naya.
The group sacrifices much to escape from Valn but now they either need to prove their innocence or fight in order to stay alive although they are the same thing in essence. Despite loving most of this novel, I was very disappointed with the way it ended and while I felt something were necessary, some weren’t. However, there is a brilliant opening for a sequel and I hope for a continuation of this novel very soon.
Buy it here:
Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
I received this review copy from NetGalley
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