Yzabel

[I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

3.5 stars. I had read and reviewed the first installment a couple of months ago, and I liked this one a little better. The action-to-revelations ratio seemed better paced to me, and didn't leave me with the same dizzying sensation as Soul Meaning did. There is a lot of action—the characters are, after all, up against a sect that doesn't hesitate to shoot whoever gets in the way, and whose arm reaches several countries—but I thought it felt more compact, and put to better use. It might be confusing sometimes, in that the author describes various kinds of moves, so if a reader doesn't know those terms, picturing said moves could be difficult; fortunately, it wasn't a problem for me (at least those Body Combat classes taught me the names of various kinds of kicks). I keep thinking that, just like Book #1, King's Crusade would make a good action movie.

At first, I wasn't sure about what to think of the conspiracy/archaeology side, because it's been played a lot in so many stories already. On the other hand, though it's a bit cliché, I do enjoy my dose of sexy-looking archaeology geek professors who find themselves embroiled in secret societies wars.

Speaking of which, I liked Jackson as a character. In the beginning, I was afraid he'd turned some kind of womanizer (when Alexa recruits him, he's in bed with a woman), but it quickly appeared that once on the job, he'd do it seriously, and involve himself even though things were clearly dangerous. He's in in for the money, the mystery, the scientific/historical interest, not for the nookie. Neither he nor Alexa let themselves get distracted by feelings in the middle of a fight, and proved to be competent in their respective fields. As for Alexa, she knew what she had to do, she did it well, and she was the no-nonsense kind of character I like.

What dampened my enthusiasm:

- We don't get to know Alexa that well. What I mean is that she's got a bit of an amnesia thing going, although it's only when it comes to her early childhood; and I would've liked to find out what happened to her, what led to the events of the prologue, before Dimitri found her.
- I don't really agree with the ending.

- Sometimes the characters were a bit... too competent? For instance, early enough, we learn that Alexa has never died, contrary to all the other immortals, and

I couldn't decide between giving it 3 or 4 stars. I'm giving it 3 on Goodreads—well, I did like it—but if the points I've raised aren't a bother for you, definitely consider it a 4.