Review for "The Second Siege" by Henry H. Neff

It's mine. It's my right hand and the dread of my enemies. For I am the Hound of my people, and the day of my wrath is coming. 

Oh boy. If that quote doesn't just summarize the whole book...

Rating: 3.5 stars

I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first one. Honestly, this book reads more like a last book in a 5-book series than a second. There are pros and cons to that. For one this, Max has more personality and emotions and makes his decisions based on these emotions. That being said, Max is not rational. He's a kid, he's immature, and even after he ages months/years at the Sidh, his decisions and rash and fueled by anger and vengeance. I personally love the angsty teen anger that develops into a more mature and reasonable mindset in later books, so I am excited and hopeful to see this maturation in Max.

Max is not a robot. But he might be our only chance at retrieving the Book of Thoth. Just as David might be our only chance at finding it. 

Stakes like the ones portrayed in the quote above do not typically show up in the second books of a series. The book's pacing and direction did not always make sense to me, and the same can be said of the series as a whole. It seems like Astaroth is the Voldemort or the Kronos of this series, and Max comes face to face with him in the first half of the second book out of five. I'm interested in how the series continues, if there are new unique villains or if Astaroth continues to be the main antagonist. Either way, I think the early confrontation is very unconventional and I can't decide if I like it or not. I will probably have a more definitive answer after reading the next few books.

The thing that I think could use the most work throughout this series is the way the relationships are written/portrayed. The friendships fall flat because you don't get any sense of personality from the side characters/anyone who isn't Max. Plus, it's hard to understand these kids as just normal friends when all the time they spend together is only when they're in mortal peril. I feel the same way about Max's relationships with his dad and with Julie. It all just feels like the author is telling you "these people are friends" instead of it being shown in the way the characters interact.

I enjoyed this book for the interesting plot, fast pace, and Max's character development. I hope these continue and increase in the next books.