The thrilling and much anticipated sequel to Crossroads of Canopys. Join Imeris in the mythical rainforest ruled by gods after failing in her task to capture an evil sorceress, she flees to the Canopy to train to complete her task. But she ends up recruited by the Hunt for the Ages to fight a monster that may just be her greatest foe yet.

The second novel in Dyer's Titan's Forest series. In ECHOES OF THE UNDERSTOREY, the author offers readers an engaging, well-paced, and well-written quest narrative. More great world-building, solid characters, and an engaging story. If you enjoyed the first novel - CROSSROADS OF CANOPY - then you should definitely pick this one up as well.

I don't know what is is about me but I have great difficulty reading Sci-Fi Fantasy which is really odd as they are often my favorite movies to watch.

In general, my tastes in reading material focus on history and nature and really anything I can analyse. So, I was drawn to the cover of this book. What's not to love about a mythical rainforest? I found this story telling to be huge in world building and weighing heavily on characters and culture.

First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Tor for the chance to read and review this book: Echoes of Understorey pre-release. As always, these thoughts are my own. This review is spoiler-free; no main plot points are revealed.

I give this story 4 stars.

Synopsis:

Return to the mythical rainforest ruled by reincarnated gods in the quest fantasy Echoes of Understorey, the heart-pounding sequel to Thoraiya Dyer's Crossroads of Canopy.

Great deeds are expected of Imeris.

Raised by accomplished warriors and skilled healers, and being the sister to a goddess, Imeris always felt pressured to be the best fighter in Understorey. Yet during a mission to capture the body-snatching sorceress Kirrik, Imeris fails disastrously. With death on her conscience and in hiding from her peers, Imeris climbs up to the sun-kissed world of Canopy to learn new ways to defeat Kirrik. What she doesn’t expect is to be recruited in a Hunt for the Ages, against a terrifying divine monster that will take all of her skills to stop.

Full Disclosure:
The synopsis that I read from Netgalley either did not say 'return', or I totally missed it because I did not know this was the second book in a series. I was fully under the impression that it was a standalone book, or at least the first book in a series. Because of that, I was pretty confused most of the story. So, for your sanity, please go read the first book first! Its title is Crossroads of Canopy. I fully realize that my review is skewed because of my failure to read book one.

Plot:
The story of Imerissiremi is a story of revenge, struggle, and forgiveness. It's deep, complex, and fascinating. 

Prose:
Ms. Dyer's storytelling is unique, refreshing, and fully immersive. Her voice is so different from most other authors I've read. It's perhaps a little complex for the casual reader, so if you're not totally committed, this book is going to be difficult. Goodreads says the story is 384 pages but it feels a lot more like 784. There's a LOT that happens, a lot of characters, and a lot of times I felt totally lost. But then again, had I read book one, I doubt it would have been so difficult.

"I am majorly impressed. A unique, gorgeous, and dangerous world!"--Tamora Pierce


Character:
Imerissiremi is the main character. I liked how every bit of the story was from her perspective; there was no head hopping or perspective changes. She's intelligent and interesting enough that she works fine as the main character. I didn't understand her motivations, but she's believable and the culture is so different that I wasn't bothered by not being able to fully connect with her.

Worldbuilding:
Echoes of Understorey has one of the deepest and most fully realized fantasy worlds I've read in a long time. The culture seems real and solid, hints of language seep through, and the religion is obviously a very complex concept. If you're looking for a deep, satisfying fantasy world, this is it.

This book will be released to the public on February 13th, 2018.

I started reading "Echoes of Understorey" in the belief that this was a standalone novel, or at least the first one of a series, as I've never heard of it before.
Still, when I added it on my Goodreads shelf and I saw that it was a sequel, I felt intimidated, the least.
"How am I supposed to catch up with everything that's happened in the first novel? What if the world of this story has already been built and some things are taken for granted? What if, because of not having read the first novel, I won't be able to fully appreciate this book?"
I couldn't help but ask these questions to myself, still, right from the prologue of the novel, I was hooked and there was no way out!
I absolutely adored the writing style, the world-building, the general feeling I was getting from the novel and the PHENOMENAL idea of the Fathers and Mothers of Imeris!
The pacing and the unfolding of the plot seemed ideal for me and, as I love descriptions and flashbacks, I managed to relate with the characters of the book, both the heroes and the villains. I enjoyed the dialogues and the dynamics between the characters, the plot twists and some of the cliffhanging endings of specific chapters, as they made me crave for more.
Overall, to me, this was a really enjoyable read, full of adventure, magic, fantasy and the unbreakable bonds of family and friendship.

I DNFed this one. not much to say other than it wasn't my taste. I was confused, bored and overall not having fun.

This book shines on every level: sentence after sentence is beautiful and precise. The characters are complicated and sympathetic, the ideas are sweeping and profound, but are never too overt. It’s a rare novel that is as accomplished in its meaning as it is in its storytelling while also succeeding wildly on the language level as well! A novel to lose yourself in and then reflect upon again and again.