I'm back again to give a review of the second volume. Overall, my impressions basically boil down to "more of the same." This volume continues where the last one left off, and as the title suggests, deals with more of the backstory side of things.

I said "more of the same, " but I think that I enjoyed the previous volume more because while I commented that the previous one just ended abruptly, this second volume ended even more abruptly and out of nowhere. This volume's tagged as complete, so I think that that's it, but it really seemed like an incomplete book. There wasn't even a "proper" climax, and in terms of the moving timeline that the story had, it felt like little in-universe time elapsed, at least from my point of view. 

I feel that the problem had to do with inserting chapter-long flashbacks, which I feel is intentional. Still, I don't think it worked as well for me.

Some of the flashbacks ended up being obtrusive to the pacing because they featured characters that do not really tie in to the plot directly (as in having a speaking role, being on-camera). I get that it is to give the readers backstory and an idea of what transpired, to give layers to the world, but I think those would have been better brought out once the characters of concern have actually made their on-screen appearances or have become the (temporary) perspective characters. That, combined with some chapters that are too short, make the volume feel incomplete, especially when read back-to-back with the better first volume.

However, I still find myself enjoying the character dynamics. I still feel that Kai and Kokona have decent chemistry, and I really want to see how Himari ties into it all, thanks to the revelation at the end of the story. If anything, I also anticipate seeing the next step in the relationship between Kai and the world at large, especially after learning more about the bigger picture and being introduced to the "bigger players" on the overarching plot. 

I feel that the series, overall, has potential, and we can get some big twists or major revelations down the line. However, half of this volume felt like a minor speed bump or filler with chapters that could have been better placed in future volumes in my opinion. Granted, those are technically not filler, and they contain important details, but I felt that the readers don't need them now, at least at this point of the story.

Nonetheless, I'll be looking forward to more of Clandestine.

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