Horn Book Guide Reviews
Katerina's (The Gathering Storm) power as a necromancer is proving to be harmful to herself and others. When her love, tsar's son George Alexandrovich, insists she stay at her finishing school where she will be safe, she reluctantly obeys--only to find herself threatened by a sinister ghost. Bridges convincingly weaves 1880s Russian aristocracy with the supernatural in this dark, complex second volume.
Kirkus Reviews
In the sequel to The Gathering Storm (2012), the tsar forces Katerina to put aside her ambition to attend medical college and return to Smolny Institute for another year of finishing school, immersing her in the dangerous paranormal intrigue of the Russian court. Since the blood bond created with vampiric Prince Danilo in the previous effort, he now has access to her thoughts, but Katerina knows better than to trust this handsome royal. Her thoughts are centered instead on Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, but he's been sent to Paris to acquire a better understanding of magic, and besides, he's aligned with the Light Court and she's tied to the Dark. Thanks to her inborn talent as a necromancer, she can reanimate the dead at will. Now, in spite of a protective spell cast over Smolny Institute, an evil spirit has taken over the library, threatening students and staff. Katerina is determined to resolve the situation. The pace is deliberately slow; readers will have to be sustained by Bridges' complex worldbuilding rather than any rapidly rising level of suspense, although the climax is satisfyingly perilous. Given the back story's complexity, the second volume cannot stand alone. Katerina's first-person voice is smart and believable, fitting well into this atmospheric romance. The simmering tale never quite reaches the boiling point, but fans will nonetheless yearn for the conclusion. (Paranormal romance. 11 & up) Copyright Kirkus 2012 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 9 Up—The teenaged Duchess of Oldenburg, Katerina Alexandrovna, continues to come to terms with her necromantic powers and her forbidden love for George Alexandrovitch, son of the tsar, who is now training to become the Koldun, the tsar's chief wizard. She must also battle a dangerous ghost that is haunting her finishing school and an undead tsar who wishes to return to power. Set in an alternate 1889 Russia where magic is real and St. Petersburg's population includes faeries, werewolves, and several different kinds of vampires, this volume has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous book in the series. The setting is fascinating and quite different from what we have seen in other YA paranormal fiction. Readers will find themselves turning to Wikipedia to find out more about Russian history and the historical characters who appear in the novel. However, there are occasional odd anachronisms, and often the supernatural world-building is vague. Sometimes the residents of St. Petersburg seem matter-of-fact about magic, and at other times it seems to be secret and forbidden. It is never quite clear why Katerina is so reluctant to learn more about her powers, or why she wants to become a doctor. Purchase where the first volume is popular.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
[Page 99]. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
Set in Russia's Imperial Court of St. Petersburg in 1889, The Unfailing Light is the second installment in the Katerina Trilogy. Katiya, a seventeen-year-old duchess, wants to break free from the conventions of her class and gender to become a doctor. She harbors a secret talent—she is a necromancer—and her ability to raise the dead is in high demand with the Light and Dark Faerie forces that rule over the tsar's court. In the first book, The Gathering Storm (Delacorte, 2012/VOYA June online), a premarital blood ceremony binds her to the evil vampire prince, Danilo. Now, Katiya has broken her engagement to Danilo but they remain telepathically united, causing Katiya's thoughts to be invaded. While Katiya battles between her yearning to become a doctor and her attraction to George Alexandrovich, the unattainable tsar's son, the upheaval in the imperial court is escalating to a breaking point. Needing Katiya's necromancer power, the empress of the Light Court has cast a protective spell, trapping Katiya in the Smolny Institute for Young Noble Maidens, the elite boarding school that she attends. Katiya must decide who her allies are and overcome the evil forces that are threatening St. Petersburg and the imperial court. At times, this novel introduces too many characters with such a wide scope of paranormal elements that the reader is left confused. Readers need to read the first book to thoroughly grasp the story line. Bridges does an admirable job with setting and character development, with a resilient female protagonist. The popularity of paranormal romance and the rich setting will appeal to teen readers who enjoy this genre. Readers of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy or Joy Preble's Dreaming Anastasia series will enjoy this series.—Adrienne AmborskiThe Unfailing Light is a suitable second book in The Katerina Trilogy. The characters and plot follow right along with the first book. It carries a slow pace in certain parts. Many more paranormal sightings and activities are added in this second book, which may frustrate some readers. Readers who enjoy any type of paranormal or Victorian-based novels will enjoy The Unfailing Light. 3Q, 4P.—Gwen Amborski, Teen Reviewer 3Q 4P J S Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews.