Time travel, mind control, amnesia, flashbacks, immortals, stalkers, secret identities, magic swords, and battles; there is a lot happening in this book. It is not a stand-alone book and you will need to read the first in order to follow the second. I have to admit, even with reading the first I was a little lost on this one and will probably have to go through it again before the third one is released. To give you some background of the story there are people that have the ability to use Essence that are referred to as the Gifted. Of the Gifted there are people called Augers who can have visions of the future and some can control others minds. The Gifted rule over all with the Augurs at the top. They rule over the population until there is a civil war where the non Gifted rise up and kill off all of the Augers. After the war there are limits on the Gifted’s powers and all new Augurs are killed.
The first book starts with Davian, Wirr, and Asha as friends at school (don’t worry its not that kind of magic school book). Davian is displaying characteristics of an Augur and is afraid he will be found out once they take their tests. Before the day of the testing, Davian and Wirr go on a secret quest to help save the Boundary which is a magical barrier that is failing and Asha is left behind where the rest of the school other than her are slaughtered (see, I told you it wasn’t that kind of magic school book). On the way Davian and Wirr pick up Taeris and Caeden. Taeris is Gifted and is tied to Davian’s past and Caeden has no memory of his past.
This book picks up right after the end of the first book. Davian makes it to the Boundary, Asha and Wirr are dealing with politics but this book mainly focuses on Caeden and his quest to get his memories back. Can you become a new person? Are you defined by your past even if you don’t remember the person you were in the past? Caeden’s story is told mostly through flash backs and tells a story of loss of faith and the aftermath of his decisions to turn his back on his God. Decisions that bring everything back to the Boundary where the action ends up at the end of the book. I am simplifying things and leaving out the arcs of the other characters but I don’t want to give too much away. This book has a large cast of characters and is flash back heavy with a side helping of time travel. Like I said in the beginning there is a lot happening in this book but don’t let that scare you away, it’s good! Also, I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was pretty good but his female voices were a little annoying.