The Entity of Souls

I feel like the phrase 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' is a fitting description for the sequel to the Keeper of the World, as the characters you know and love return but continue to be in more danger than ever.

At the end of the last book, it was uncertain whether ANY of them had survived the almighty destruction of the Temple of Ratacopeck, but old (and new) characters have returned to continue their journey towards a fate unknown. With the Elements (Saz, Meggie, Bex and Bethan) all trapped in the mysterious world of the Diggers, and Edmund and his companions (Eliom, Fred and Thom) discovery of the chance to get them back, we discover that there was more to the Keeper of the World than meets the eye.

For Edmund, the loss of his love was like a stake through the heart, but when he learns that the women survived the fires of the temple and are now trapped in an unknown world, he risks everything to get her back. Along the way we meet some new and interesting characters including a Seer of things that might come to pass, a dangerous foe who could disrupt the entire journey, the life partner of one of his companions and an old friend who betrays his trust and leads him straight into a trap that could endanger his mission.

Whilst those still in Tungala take a journey to learn the truth, the Elements have their own problems when they arrive in the Digger world, unable to recall their names, let alone anything that had transpired on their home world. Here we see them band together and, with the help of two elements who have been trapped in the Digger world for an eternity, discover how to escape and return to those they left behind, but the information they need comes at a deathly cost.

In what turns out to be a race against time for both parties, fate plays a crucial role in getting everyone exactly where they need to be for a blissful reunion, but when one Element has nothing to return for, she has the decision of a lifetime to make.

This adventure has just as much heart and determination as the first, and leaves you with SO many questions about the Digger world, who is the builder, is Eliom becoming more human, and what happens to Soph and Elanore after their clash with the remaining clones (who knew there would be MORE of those?!). I'm looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into the final book and finding out what fate has had in store for them all along.