I've yet to be wowed by this series. The first book felt like a lot of foundations and character set-up, and while this book has some fun challenges and heartwarming moments, it doesn't feel like it's gone far enough yet; it still strikes me as setting up the mood and the limitations of magic in this world.

I appreciate how the pirate problem is a direct consequence of the earthquake problem from the first book, and I'm starting to see how each installation is subtly personalized for its titular character. But the whole Aymery situation fell a little flat for me. He seemed suspicious immediately, and while this could mean that his betrayal was properly foreshadowed, I was caught off-guard by Tris's intense reaction. Briar was so concerned about how she would take the news, and that was the first I'd heard about her actually warming up to her cousin. It felt like there was a jump from Tris being snippy with Aymery to her mourning his loss. I thought that it might be a situation of mourning what could have been, but I didn't find enough evidence in the text to support this reading.

As a result, the emotional climax in this book didn't sit well with me, though I still love the dynamic between the main four children and their mentors. I like the inclusion of animal companions, such as Little Bear and Shriek, and I plan to keep going with this series, even if I don't feel an intense desire to know what happens next. I am just sailing along pleasantly from book to book, and I hope that I enjoy the full ride.

This was a super quick, fun read with some good plot sets ups for the 4 MCs! Loved seeing Tris grow and I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

Though this is my first official time reading any Emelan stories, I have read Tris's Book before. I always felt a connection with Tris, a fat, quiet girl with unruly hair. Though Sandry's power with fiber is something I would love to have (and some people may claim that I do have a power with fiber - go knitters!!), I have always wanted to be able to control the weather. So Tris has a special place in my heart.

It’s so fun re-reading these books! This was so nostalgic and fun to read. Now that I started re-reading these books I don’t want to read the new books that I started and have sitting on my bed side table. Trying to be objective, this was better than the last one. The characters developed a little more and the story was more interesting. I’m looking forward to the next one!

I like Tris, but I just don't like her as well as the other three. I think it has to do with her character development. She doesn't have a mentor like the others do, and her magic is so different, as in, it is not craft based. I dislike that she always seems to be an outsider, even among her friends.

Comfort food. Chicken soup for the soul -- this entire series. I love reading about the four friends, their mentors and their adventures.

While Tris is not my favorite of the group it is really lovely to see the group grow together. I would say this book is darker than the first one and more stressful. I did enjoy it and really am liking the series over all.

Hello, friends, I just finished my review of Sandry's Book and now I'm back for more! This review is probably gonna be shorter because I simply do not want to spend as much time on it, but I'll do my best. If I don't review it now, we all know it's never getting done, so might as well get it done while I'm here.

This book is less revolved around the kids settling into their new home, because they are already pretty settled by this point. It's a lot more about defending their new home and learning more about their own magic and the connection they have with each other. Basically, pirates are attacking and they have explosives, and most of the book revolves around stopping them.

I would say one thing that really gets emphasized in this book is how dangerous magic can be. There are several points throughout the book where the kids put themselves in serious danger attempting to help stop the pirates. It's also somewhat darker than the first book; no main character deaths, but lots of death generally, and some mildly disturbing descriptions of dead bodies and stuff like that. It is very effective at demonstrating why these kids need to learn more before they can reliably do the kind of powerful magic they've been attempting, and it's very effective at demonstrating how much damage magic can do in the wrong hands, or even in the right hands if you're not incredibly careful. It was a little bit less heartwarming than the last book, but again, it's for kids, so I wouldn't call it bleak or depressing or anything. It just takes its message very seriously, which I think is fair.

Overall: good book, good time, I liked it a lot. Will probably read the next one pretty soon, but we'll see when I get around to reviewing it.