The Chronicle of the Lake is the second in Deborah’s series. It follows protagonist Ethan Freer, who, after living a difficult and turbulent life, returns to his hometown and to his family to deal with a personal tragedy. Only for him to be drawn into a completely different world than what he is used to, mirroring what his mother and brother went through in the first book. Deborah takes on the spiritual themes in the first book and takes readers on an expansion of mythical themes and legends.
The book was a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating read. It was rich and detailed and kept a strong pace throughout. I enjoyed how realistic and challenging it was for Ethan to accept new truths in this new world he’s experiencing. His portrayal of denial in trying to rationalise science with the supernatural was believable in how most would react to such topics. I loved Deborah’s writing. Her descriptions meant you knew exactly what was going on and could build an authentic image of it all in your head, and her speech between the characters flowed easily.
When you thought you knew where it was going, you were thrust into a completely new setting that kept the story interesting. There were some unsettling scenes that reinforced how terrifying and otherworldly the books villain had become, and it raised the stakes for all characters involved. I personally enjoyed this one even more than the second and had a lot of empathy and admiration for Ethan. I love that there’s more to this series as there were a lot of unanswered questions toward the end that would have been too overwhelming to contain in this book alone, and it also leaves you wanting more.
I award 5 stars.