Title: Snakecharm
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published: June 13, 2006
Publisher: Laurel Leaf.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Zane Cobriana, cobra shapeshifter, thanks the gods every day for Danica, his hawk pair bond, and the peace their union has brought to the avian and serpiente. Soon, Danica will have a child to carry on their royal line. But what should be a happy time is riddled with doubt.

Syfka, an ancient falcon, has arrived from Ahnmik claiming that one of her people is hidden in their midst. The falcons are more powerful than the avian and serpiente combined, and Syfka shows nothing but contempt for Zane and Danica’s alliance. To Zane’s horror, his own people seem just as appalled as Syfka is by the thought of a mixed-blood child becoming heir to the throne.

Is Syfka’s lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them? The truth lies somewhere in their tangled pasts and the search will redefine Zane and Danica’s fragile future.

After reading Hawksong and falling in love with it, I immediately went to reserve Snakecharm from the library. It took a few weeks for them to get it in, so I was chomping at the bit to read it when I finally got my hands on it. I still like the world, and the characters–though in Snakecharm there’s a narration shift from Danica to Zane. About halfway through the book we find out that Danica is pregnant with their first child, and along with that comes the problems of raising a mixed breed child, and which throne the child will inherit. I found that Danica changed a bit in this book. She’s not as strong/self sufficient in this book, relying heavily on others.

Zane is a believable narrator though a bit passive. I felt that it dragged a bit, and lacked some of the excitement and drama from the first book. I did also notice that there wasn’t as much world building–it was as though I was supposed to take things at face value. The story felt a bit rushed, a little stitched together to further the main plot along. I did like the side story with the two falcons that are hidden among Danica’s people. It was a nice twist that I didn’t see coming.

Overall: Snakecharm suffers from second book syndrome–adding in details to pad the story and push along a larger plot that will be revealed in later books. Feels like filler.