(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)

Companion trainee Ciardis Weathervane has won the friendship of the royal heir and saved his claim to the throne. Yet her interference in the inheritance rights leaves more harm done than good. With the death of the Princess Heir, the Ameles forest – the home of the kith, is dying. The inhabitants of the forest, magic-wielding non-humans, are defiant. They have not forgotten their long struggles nor are they content to watch as the last of their lands perish. As humans begin to die in gruesome deaths, the Emperor dispatches the royal heir to the forests with the solution to the kith concerns.

With enemies closing ranks in Sandrin, Ciardis can little afford to leave the city’s nest of vipers to take on a new task. But she’s given no choice when her loyalty to the crown and courts are called into question.

To keep the Companions’ Guild happy and the favor of the Imperial Court, Ciardis will be tested in frightening new ways, especially when she’s faced with an obstacle that could risk the lives of her friends and the family she never thought she had.

This second novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Raise.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Terah Edun in exchange for an honest review.]

Some authors never improve, but Terah Edun is not one of them.  Instead, in Sworn to Transfer she fixed pretty much everything that was wrong with the last book.  The pacing was much better because everything was slowed down to a manageable but interesting speed and the villain wasn’t such a caricature as in Sworn to Raise.

What I liked the most about Sworn to Transfer is how Ciardis’ character has developed over time.  You can tell that although she keeps getting in trouble with the Companions’ Guild for breaking protocol, overall she’s far more sure of herself and her powers.  At the same time, things are a little more awkward between Ciardis and Sebastien.  You can tell they’re starting to develop feelings for each other, but they’re still not sure just how to express them.  At least they’re not falling in Insta-Love, but rather their love is growing organically.

What I really liked were the plot twists.  The huge jaw-dropping twist at the end was completely unexpected but made sense.  In addition to that shocker, there were several little turns of events that kept me reading late into the night.  I don’t want to give anything away so let’s just say that every character has their secrets and they aren’t exactly eager to share them with Ciardis, the wild card in the Imperial Court.

If you enjoyed Sworn to Raise you’ll love Sworn to Transfer even more.  The extended world-building, the character development and the evenly paced plot make it a huge improvement over the last book.  And although there are some moments where the plot drags, when you finish the book you’ll be begging for the next one to come out.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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