Children of the Whales, Vol. 2 by Abi Umeda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this post-apocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.
In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, most dying young from the very powers that sustain them.
Warnings: violence, murder
The second volume of Children of the Whales continues where the first left off – them being attacked by some Empire. Seems like the place they were exiled from came back to finish them off, and at first, I thought it may have been because they were thymia users, but soldiers of the imperial army also use thymia. Now, the residents of the Mud Whale have to fight for their life, and they are given a respite, but time for them is going to run out soon with decisions being made by the council of elders.
The short lives of the thymia users play a role in the politics of the Mud Whale, as the power lies with those who don’t use thymia (longer lifelines). But the protectors are the outcasts, and they manage to fight back and hope to stop the decisions of this council. Also, the girl they picked up? She starts talking a bit about what life is outside, and we also get to know little about the imperial army that attacked them. The story is more dynamic this time around, with more pieces in play.
The artwork continues to be impressive, but I am hoping for clarification on how the clothing and appearance of the Empire and the Mud Whale are so different considering they have had less than a century of separation. Overall, a sequel that is better than the first book.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.
Previous books in series
YA on my Mind 