4.5/5 stars — an exciting second installment in the Bone Magic series

*contains spoilers for Stonehill Downs and marked/hidden spoilers for this book*

I read Stonehill Downs, the first book in this series, in March and loved it, so I'm happy to report that Across the Long Sea was more of the same immersive fantasy goodness. In this installment, main characters Mal and Avani have separate storylines

that converge in the last quarter of the book and only intersect in the last few pages

. Mal leaves Wilhaiim to attend his critically ill father, while Avani travels to the capital to fill in as vocent in his absence.

Mal's point-of-view sections flesh out the world as he travels away from the Downs and the kingdom toward the coast where he was born. Because open water has an adverse effect on magic-users, we also get to learn more about the magic system (and see Mal go a bit off his rocker while shipboard). Mal's adversarial relationship with his parents is just the beginning of the tribulations that keep him away from his king and kingdom in their hour of need.

Avani, meanwhile, steps into Mal's shoes to investigate a plague called the Red Worm that's ravaging the capital. Although Mal's notes claim the sickness isn't rooted in magic, Avani isn't so sure—which makes her task of sealing the sidhe doors in the keep even more important. Although she's learned more about Mal's style of magic (and about the mysterious barrowmen) since the events of the previous book, protecting the capitol in Mal's absence is still a trial by fire for Avani.

Across the Long Sea showcased Sarah Remy's talent for breathing realistic life into even the most minor characters while still allowing the major players to shine. Although I enjoyed both plotlines in this book, I most enjoyed the opportunity to explore new aspects of the protagonists' personalities as the story took both out of their comfort zones. The previous book was fantasy with undertones of horror and suspense; this one adds an element of quest/adventure via Mal's plot, which I loved. The sidhe weren't an eleventh-hour surprise this time, but since they still don't quite seem to mesh with the rest of this book's story arc, I assume they're part of the series arc instead.

I'm as much a fan of Remy's writing and characters as I was after reading the first novel in this series, and I look forward to starting the third book. I hope it won't take me five months to get around to the next one this time!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous one, and the series to fans of adult fantasy featuring unique magic, thoughtful worldbuilding, and supernatural scares.