Nora has just returned from a year spent in a world of magic, and her life at home is going well. But she can't stop thinking about the man, and the magical studies, she left behind, so when she stumbles on someone who can help her go back, she makes the leap. She soon finds herself embroiled in a world of goddesses and miracles, with unimaginable magic at her fingertips. But everything is not as it seems in Nora's new life, and as she becomes enmeshed in her new life she finds herself ever farther from the man she loves.

This book was a delight from the very first page. It's a sequel, but the author provides enough background that readers who haven't read its predecessor can follow along. More importantly, the Nora's vivid narrative voice and emotional complexity draw readers into the story. Soon enough, the story's action takes over and whatever we missed becomes irrelevant.

But this story isn't really about action. It's not a short book or a fast read. It takes its time getting to where it's going and makes plenty of side trips along the way. There is world-building and relationship development, and the universe of the book is fascinating and realistic, if nothing like our own. I found these digressions engrossing, particularly as the conclusion drew near and the story's many threads drew together in a powerful and exciting denouement.