Anchor of Secrets (Supernaturals of Castle Academy #2) by Tessa Hale

                                                           

Print Length: 276 pages

Publisher: Tessa Hale (June 14, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: Taken. Tormented. Tortured. I’ve endured a living nightmare, and the only way I’m holding on is because I know they will come for me.

My wolf. My caster. My demon. My dragons.

They’ll do anything to save me. Even if it means burning the world down around us.

But rescuing me is just the beginning. Because our enemies are circling, and sometimes, evil is closer than you could ever imagine…

  

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My Rating: 1 star out of 5

This book started off with a bite (literally, Leighton has been kidnapped and is being held hostage and tortured by a vampire). I had hoped that maybe we would have seen a glimmer of her magic then (as I just knew she had to have some), but nope. She is rescued by her guys, and then left with just an (understandable) case of PTSD. 

As I well know, trauma can also help shape a person in a good way, so I had assumed that perhaps the reason the author had chosen to have Leighton kidnapped was so that she would be forced to confront what had happened to her, and grow from it. Find that strength that all of her guys swore they saw in her and make her more like an equal to them even without her magic being unlocked. I also had even more trouble telling the guys apart (except for Trace as he was still the same broody jerk that he has always been, pushing her away even though he doesn't want to). 

Sadly, once she is home, the book basically reverts back to the first in the series. They go to school (where something bad happens seemingly every day, even if it's just Chole and her two mean girl friends saying the same boring thing over and over to Leighton). The guys keep secrets from her, or downplay how serious things really are, there are some adult scenes peppered in, and Leighton passes out whenever the author isn't sure how to end a scene. The only thing different about this book is not only do they still have their previous worries about Leighton's anchor powers not manifesting, but now they also have to worry about Damien coming back to finish what he started, and then suddenly Leighton's hateful mother is in town for reasons unknown. 

Once again, this book ended on a cliff-hanger. Although this one seemed to hint at something more, so I am reluctantly going to begin reading the third and final book, as this story has so much potential.