Review: The Waterless Sea. The Chanters of Tremaris 2 by Kate Constable

The second novel in the captivating Chanters of Tremaris trilogy follows Calwyn and her friends to the desolate Merithuran Empire. As they search for a group of kidnapped children who have the gift of chantment, they must negotiate both the unforgiving desert and the even more treacherous Palace of Cobwebs, where they uncover the dreadful secret that holds the Empire together. Meanwhile, Darrow has broken away from the group to form a new alliance of his own. Can he still be trusted? In this book, Calwyn’s quest for peace and justice has greater consequences than she ever could have imagined.

336 pages
Scholastic
published in 2003

1. The Singer of all Songs
2. The Waterless Sea
3. The Tenth Power

I read this book almost immediately after having finished the first so I didn’t have problems catching up with the story at all. About half a year has passed since Calwyn and her friends returned from their first adventure. They are now busy hunting down pirate ships and rescuing chanters. They settled down in a quiet little village and are about to start a school for chanters. Everyone is happy, yay!

… Nah, not really. For once, Darrow is gone, and no reason is given at first. Calwyn is missing him and annoyed because he left without telling anyone, and so am I. I was looking forward to more slow-burn romance, but nope. Not in this book. They are separated for most of the story and when they are together they are acting all stupid. The drama between them felt a bit forced and was in the end disappointing.

While we mostly follow Calwyn and the group on a quest to rescue some children, we also get chapters on Darrow’s upbringing, that were actually not too bad. Made him more of a distinct character. Both storylines also connected in the end, so I wasn’t mad about it.

On their way to rescue the chanter children, Calwyn learns more about different kinds of magic and struggles with the knowledge that she might me able to master more forms of chantment than should be possible.

I thought it was a very uneventful book and was bored a couple of times. If I was watching a TV show, I’d say it was a filler episode, although there were a few developments.

It did have some interesting twists in the end and that is why I will definitely finish this trilogy. The books are pretty short as well so it shouldn’t take long.

Please be better again, book 3 🙂

★★☆