Honeyed Words by J.A. Pitts (2nd book in the Sarah Beauhall series)

Honeyed Words by J.A. Pitts

Tor Books, 2011. 

Overview: At the beginning of Honeyed Words, Sarah and her friends are only a few months removed from the traumatic battle with a dragon and his minions, and are struggling to forgive themselves and each other for the deaths of their comrades. When an acquaintance is kidnapped by dwarves, Sarah is alerted to the unrest in Vancouver, the former domain of the dragon she slew. While she assesses the new threats to the safety of her circle, Sarah must also find a way to reconcile with friends and enemies alike. 

My reaction: I was really disappointed in this one overall. While the first one had some plot holes, the story was generally moving fast enough for me to not really care; Honeyed Words moved about as fast as molasses until at least halfway in. Part of that was because of  excessive summarization of Black Blade Blues, but I also couldn't really get invested in the kidnapping arc. I didn't miss it when it got dropped (well, as in Sarah wasn't actively trying to rescue him) for most of the book in favor of focusing on a more interesting new character's problems, and the unlikely alliances that Sarah forges to help her. Like Sarah, I was relieved when there was something for her to do about the situation. Unfortunately, that took a little too long for it to be as rewarding as Black Blade Blues.

I wanted to finish the next book, Forged in Fire, to balance out this review, since the 58 pages I've read so far are much better, but I didn't have the time. I hope that it maintains its fast pace, since I'll feel better about sticking with Honeyed Words if there is a payoff in Forged.

(I was tempted by the end to give this a "decent," but I think that's more a reflection on the relative quality of its companions than on its own merits.)