The Opal Embers Review

I was finally able to finish the second installment of Vagabond Legacy yesterday. There had actually been a great deal of reluctance on my part to read The Opal Embers—more on that later—but no sooner had I finished the last page of the story than I was pulling out my phone to type out a quick email to express just how excited I was for the third installment.

Return of Beloved Characters

In typical fashion, it was a dark and stormy night, as the story begins. In the narrative of somebody we had yet to be introduced to. Naturally, I’d begun to worry; I was already on the fence about reading The Opal Embers. Did this second installment have nothing to do with the protagonists of the first? As it turns out, my concerns were rather short-lived; while The Crimson Spark left off with one major departure, The Opal Embers merely introduces additional characters into the mix, as is evident by its ominous book cover.

My initial hesitation to read this newest book in the saga stemmed from a vague comment I’d come across that hinted at a significant strain on the relationship of the vagabonds Nea and Leo, but Hastings assured me that this ‘strain’ was a necessary development between the two that would inevitably strengthen the bond that they had already shared.

This would become evident by the end of the book.

New Characters

It took very little time for me to warm up to the new characters.

Xerrigan, whom the story opens up with, is a delver. Newly orphaned and determined to find her absent mentor, a more experienced delver by the name of Domingo, she sets off on a journey that exposes her to the violent aftermath of the war against the Black Briars. Like Leo, she readily puts her trust in the first person to cross her path. And just like Leo, she suffers the consequences.

Jaako, the son of a chieftain, belongs to a hidden race of human-animal hybrids. Only he carries an important trait that sets him apart from those in his village. Like Nea, he believes a monster dwells within. He struggles with a voice in his head, one that isn’t so easily ignored. Like Nea, he must learn to accept this part of himself or risk dire consequences.

Converging elements force the two wayward children onto the very same path our young vagabonds walk. And thus, the story progresses.

Themes of Faith

Hastings does this a lot, creating and working with the parallels within his own universe. He does it well, I’d say. There seems to be a recurring theme among his works in the form of religion.

Book Two is no exception, as Leo and Nea work with an Archbishop with the hope of gaining a new ally in their ongoing fight against the Grassen Trading Company. Leo especially struggles with his faith after the death of his brother and the events that follow. I know nothing about the personal beliefs of the author, but I have to commend Hastings for the incorporation of theology within the story in a compelling manner without forcing these views onto his readers.