Title: His Mortal Demise
Author: Vanessa Le
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Kochin is a heartsooth — a rare being with the ability to heal any wound. Any wound, that is, except death.
Intent on defying nature and bringing Nhika back to life, Kochin keeps her body in a life-preserving casket and waits for a miracle. Stricken with grief and descending into madness, Kochin realizes the answer to his desperate quest can only lie in one place: Yarong, the lush yet battle-ridden island the first heartsooths called home.
Months later, Nhika wakes in a familiar manor-house, with Kochin nowhere to be found. As she traces his footsteps across Theumas, she discovers the haunting path he walked to bring her back, and a world changed by war.
When Kochin discovers the true and grisly way to resurrect a person from the grave, he must decide exactly how much he is willing to sacrifice, in order to reunite with the woman he loves…
I really enjoyed this read! I liked the first book in this duology, and I think this book did a fantastic job of wrapping up all the storylines from the first book while on an entirely new adventure. The dual-POV really worked for me, along with the dual timeline, allowing the reader to see all aspects of the story. I liked both Nhika and Kochin’s stories, and seeing the familiar secondary characters from the first book added another layer of comfort to the story. This would make an excellent weekend read!
Vanessa Le is from the Pacific Northwest. His Mortal Demise is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 