I am not sure how I feel about the setup on this one. It sets of Torak and Renn as a couple which I am sure a lot of people would expect, but I have no memories of from the other books and comes across as rather jarring. I imagine Paver has tried to age up the characters to a more mature standard, as this book came out a good few years after the rest of the series, but I just feel like we missed a lot of these beloved peoples lives in the time that was skipped. I was also not a fan of the use of jealousy as  character conflict. I don't like this as a character trait on the main character, I'm all for character flaws, don't get me wrong, but this particular one just grinds my gears. It reflects a possessive characteristic that I felt did not fit the usually more rational Torak.

But it was great to come back to this world! it was nice to see how Paver makes the world varied, with each clan having it's own customs that fit with their environment and the lifestyle they might have to lead. that said, the narwal clan was definitely a jarring experience. It was well established that Torak's experience was a lot different from Renn's, which was interesting, and I would definitely like to have seen that explored. Though, then again this is a children's book, so perhaps this was just enough.

The twist does make this book, I think. It really spurred it into gear, flips expectations and, to me, reminded me why I loved this series as a child. I have one question though, and without spoiling too much.... Did Torak not kill his bone-kin in the end? how does that work?

Regardless, delighted to see this series not dead and worth the read.