My Thoughts: The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials #2)

"It's been almost a year since Cyrus and Antigone Smith earned their places as Journeymen at Ashtown, home of an ancient order of explorers that has long guarded the world's secrets and treasures. While their studies go well, Cy and Tigs are not well liked since losing the Dragon's Tooth to the nefarious Dr. Phoenix. The Tooth is the only object in the world capable of killing the long-lived transmortals, and Phoenix has been tracking them down one-by-one, and murdering them.The surviving transmortals, led by legendary warrior Gilgamesh of Uruk, descend on Ashtown in force, demanding justice. Cy and Tigs find themselves on the run in a desperate search to locate Phoenix and regain the Tooth. In the process, they uncover an evil even more dangerous than Phoenix, one that has been waiting for centuries to emerge."-Amazon

My Thoughts

N.D Wilson. Author. Father. And reviver of classically cliché themes. What on earth are you talking about you ask? I'm talking about N.D Wilson's amazing ability to take overused and overrun themes, and turn them into fresh new original books; because that's exactly what he's done with the Drowned Vault. Though the overall material was nothing new, it sort of felt like N.D Wilson breathed new sparks into the fire-He's strayed from the classic “secret society of relic hunters” theme and carried the book into a different direction, a direction brimming with battle, old enemies, and of course-Smiths.
Now don't get me wrong; that part of the book was all really good, but what really drew me in was the exciting new characters introduced.They were really the most dynamic part of the book. I mean who could forget Arachne's cold blue charm, Radu Bey's evil scheme, and the devious Bellamy Cook!
So really (for me) the drowned Vault seemed like a bridge, connecting the beginning to the end, filling the reader with enticing flashes of the smith’s past- and ultimately their future. With hard hitting endeavors, tantalizing new characters, and a nail biting ending, how could you go wrong With the Drowned Vault!?!

Rating: B

What to expect?

• Endeavors
• Transmortals
• Dr.Pheonix
• Radu Bey