Nova Stormont lives in a world where factions overpower the factionless. Kalleigh Royn's SPRIGS & STONE: The Scattered Seeds Book 2 begins with her living in the Echelon faction as an indentured: a choice she made to protect her factionless town from discovery and to be with her partner Leon Valric. While Leon tries to help by arranging her physical training, his powers are limited. Not only is General Kieran Valric (the man who indentured Nova) his brother, but both are the sons of Echelon’s leader—a coldhearted man who pits them against each other. Nova always has to be on her guard, unable to decide who to trust. She has Leon, who wants to coddle her; but then there’s Kieran, who seems tough but treats her like an equal. When Lord Valric announces a competition to decide new council members, Nova seizes the opportunity to overcome her circumstances. But there are people suspicious of her origins and want to exploit her relationships with both brothers to destroy them.

SPRIGS & STONE is a sequel to Roots & Rubble. While there are enough context clues to follow the story, it’s important to read both to avoid plot confusion. This novel is evocatively told in first person, simmering with tension as Nova attracts dangerous attention. When a council member sabotages her, the kitchen cook she works with warns that there are worse council members out there—to which Nova feels “The words coil in my chest like ivy creeping over crumbling stone.”

Despite the obstacles, Nova fights to have agency, and this determination in a seemingly impossible situation is how her character shines the most. When she’s humiliated by senior officials, she thinks, “One day, I’ll claim a seat at the table. I’ll be a voice they cannot ignore.” She hones her healing skills by finding plants with medicinal benefits, making her a valuable asset. When Leon tries to dissuade her from joining the competition, she reminds him that she wants to earn freedom on her own terms.

This inadvertently pushes her closer to Kieran—who involves her in missions, expands her knowledge, and trusts her intuition. It’s as if one relationship is a foil to the other, an ironic twist in the sibling rivalry. There’s a slow build to what feels like a love triangle, and, though there are some spicy scenes and loaded glances seamlessly woven in, the romance isn’t central to the plot.

Alas, these complex dynamics aren’t explored enough because faction politics and side characters get more focus. The competition also happens without much fanfare, a familiar setup found in other dystopian novels. Still, it's a potent way to show people's true colors. Drawing that out would have built more action and created more purpose for the characters, but SPRIGS & STONE still finds a way to make its genre tropes engaging and page-turning. The sequels will be hotly anticipated.  

Kalleigh Royn's SPRIGS & STONE: The Scattered Seeds Book 2 is vibrantly written with jaw-clenching moments of danger and angst.

~ K. Nesa for IndieReader