First Impression

Atmospheric and almost haunting, the cover of Quelling only added to my excitement for this novel. I truly enjoyed the mysterious feel of the cover art that was reflected throughout the work as a whole.

Criticism

Okay, before we get to far into this review, I want to start with the same massively important disclaimer that I included in my review for Sowing : Quelling deals with some difficult and heavy topics of discussion including attempted rape/sexual assault, PTSD, and physical and psychological abuse. If any of those topics might be triggering for you in any way, please be aware that this novel does involve such topics.

Now regarding actual critiques, I will admit that I was a little bit confused by the age gaps between a few of the characters. I wasn’t sure if I was just misunderstanding how old some of them were supposed to be or if there was actually a pretty sizable discrepancy between some of these characters in terms of age.

Appreciation

Quelling is exactly what you would want from a sequel: the return to a cast of still amazing characters, a greater insight into their world and their personalities, and an original, ever-evolving plot line. 

Just like Sowing, Quelling was wonderfully unpredictable, spliced with several twists and turns that constantly thrust the plot into uncharted territories and made this book quite difficult to put down.

I mentioned before that I loved the humanity and imperfection captured within both the strengths and the flaws of these characters, so I was (and indeed still am) quite eager to journey with them further on their adventures. I truly think one of the best parts of Quelling was getting to watch the way these characters evolved and developed, their rich histories coming to light and revealing truths I never would have expected. 

The last word

A wonderful addition to the Purification Era series, expanding upon an already rich setting, plot, and cast of characters.

The journey continues …