ARC Review: The Sea King by C.L. Wilson

Series:	Weathermages of Mystral #2
Pub. Date:	Oct. 31, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	608 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

It's no secret that I totally fangirl over C.L. Wilson, so a new release from her is one of the highlights of my year. Unfortunately this book came up on my reading calendar as I was in the midst of a move across country, so I couldn't savor it quite like I wanted to. Nevertheless, it was still a yummy treat to sit down with when I got tired of the relentless packing and unpacking. 

Now, it's been quite a while since I read The Winter King, so I couldn't quite remember what happened in that book. So I was glad there were a few reminders dropped throughout the story to jog my memory. I do recommend that you read the series in order as there is some world-building in the first book that introduces Mystral and the general weathermage powers that you will want to know. Plus, The Winter King was an awesome read!

In this second installment, our hero is Dylis Merimydion, sealord prince of Calberna. After aiding Wynter and Khamsin to defeat the Ice King in the last book, Dylis has been promised the opportunity to come to Wintercraig and court Khamsin's sisters, known as the Seasons of Summerlea. After many years of fighting, Dylis is looking forward to nothing more than finding his liana and starting his family. He was such a great hero. I loved the imagery that C.L. Wilson painted with Dylis' hair, tattoos and attire. So I had a great picture of him in my mind (and that image may have looked a bit like Jason Momoa). But he was also a genuinely good and caring guy, loyal to his mother but wanting to give everything to his future wife. Dylis also had the patience of a saint (which he needed with our heroine), and an awesome sense of humor.

It seems the books in this series will be following the Coruscate sisters, and the Season up for this installment was Gabriella Coruscate, also known as Summer. Summer has been known her entire life as the meek and mild Season, less powerful than her sisters, but beloved by all people who meet her. But we quickly learn that people only see what Summer wants them to see, and she is running scared of feeling anything too strongly. Summer was a reluctant heroine, which is definitely not my favored type of heroine. And she was extremely reluctant for the majority of the book, so sometimes I felt like I wanted to shake some sense into her. I understood her reasons, but they really didn't hold water when compared to the awesomeness that was Dylis.

I did like the plot conflict for this story, although I didn't expect it to take such a dark turn when it happened. When push came to shove, Gabriella somewhat redeemed herself for being a reluctant heroine by not being a damsel. I was impressed by her ability to maintain her composure and not fall to pieces in the face of adversity. 

One of my favorite things about this series is the magic. Wilson puts a lot into her world building and character development, and I enjoy the various magical qualities that our characters possess. When you add that to the fantastical setting for the story, you can't helped but to be sucked in and captivated from the first page to the last. 

I do wish I could have spent more time with the story, so I think I'm going to do a series re-read in audio soon. It may help me unpack a little faster. ;) 

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon.

Weathermages of Mystral