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eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars!
First of all, THAT IS NO WAY TO END A BOOK! Leaving people hanging like that is mean. Very very mean. Would one more chapter have killed you?
Next, as much as I would love to give this book five stars because I aboulutely loved it and I'm very happy with it, I can't do that because of a problem that was in the last book as well. It's slow. Both the books in the series don't move fast enough. And while the last few chapters made up for it in a way and even the super-slow parts weren't the put-me-to-sleep kind, I still wish the author would pick up the pace. That's the only problem I have with this book. Everything else was great.
I loved the plot and how so many things were revealed. I loved the raw-ness that this book had, how you had to do things you hated so you could survive. I loved the betrayal and the deception, the webs of lies that came into play. And... I loved the characters.
I said in my review of The Kiss of Deception that Lia and Rafe combined could give Percy some challenge the whole not-sure-if-that's-brave-or-stupid thing. I stand by that. But it was more than that. They were both so strong and patient for being two highly impulsive people. They had their slip ups, though. I love them both. Lia and Rafe are the best.
But it wasn't just them. It was the terrible and horrible and needs-to-die-slowly-and-painfully Komizar, Kaden with his confused priorities, Calantha the mysterious and brave little Aster. All the characters were so well developed and they developed throughout the book as well. It almost made the pace seem okay. It if weren't for how interesting they all were, I'm not sure I would have been able to continue till the end.
Finally, the writing, like the last time, was great and I still really like the little snippets from songs or holy texts, especially since they make a lot more sense now. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend the series while also desperately waiting for the final book.
P.S. This book, thankfully, did not have a love triangle.
First of all, THAT IS NO WAY TO END A BOOK! Leaving people hanging like that is mean. Very very mean. Would one more chapter have killed you?
Next, as much as I would love to give this book five stars because I aboulutely loved it and I'm very happy with it, I can't do that because of a problem that was in the last book as well. It's slow. Both the books in the series don't move fast enough. And while the last few chapters made up for it in a way and even the super-slow parts weren't the put-me-to-sleep kind, I still wish the author would pick up the pace. That's the only problem I have with this book. Everything else was great.
I loved the plot and how so many things were revealed. I loved the raw-ness that this book had, how you had to do things you hated so you could survive. I loved the betrayal and the deception, the webs of lies that came into play. And... I loved the characters.
I said in my review of The Kiss of Deception that Lia and Rafe combined could give Percy some challenge the whole not-sure-if-that's-brave-or-stupid thing. I stand by that. But it was more than that. They were both so strong and patient for being two highly impulsive people. They had their slip ups, though. I love them both. Lia and Rafe are the best.
But it wasn't just them. It was the terrible and horrible and needs-to-die-slowly-and-painfully Komizar, Kaden with his confused priorities, Calantha the mysterious and brave little Aster. All the characters were so well developed and they developed throughout the book as well. It almost made the pace seem okay. It if weren't for how interesting they all were, I'm not sure I would have been able to continue till the end.
Finally, the writing, like the last time, was great and I still really like the little snippets from songs or holy texts, especially since they make a lot more sense now. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend the series while also desperately waiting for the final book.
P.S. This book, thankfully, did not have a love triangle.
chuspinawi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
faeriesparks's review against another edition
5.0
so great??? so amAZING???! coherent review will follow soon
sophielaura1's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
3.25 stars ✨
Sigh……… I did unfortunately prefer book one, but, there were things that I enjoyed in this one.
For example , we got a lot more into the history of Venda, however, to counter that, I don't understand Morrighan and the "secretive past" that no one knows about. I get the overall plot but the kingdom? Not so much. My biggest issue is the why? Why do people have powers and what is the magic? Where did it come from?
I’m not really feeling any of the potential love interests, they don’t make any sense to me at all, and with only one book left, I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Talking about a different kind of relationship, I’m interested to see where Pauline and Lia’s relationship is going to pick up when they reunite, now that Pauline knows the truth. Similarly, we haven’t had much of Lia’s other brothers at all, so I’m curious to see how they will interact, especially after everything has gone on.
The ending definitely carried for me. So so good. And so so heartbreaking. Poor Aster 💔.
Sigh……… I did unfortunately prefer book one, but, there were things that I enjoyed in this one.
For example , we got a lot more into the history of Venda, however, to counter that, I don't understand Morrighan and the "secretive past" that no one knows about. I get the overall plot but the kingdom? Not so much. My biggest issue is the why? Why do people have powers and what is the magic? Where did it come from?
I’m not really feeling any of the potential love interests, they don’t make any sense to me at all, and with only one book left, I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Talking about a different kind of relationship, I’m interested to see where Pauline and Lia’s relationship is going to pick up when they reunite, now that Pauline knows the truth. Similarly, we haven’t had much of Lia’s other brothers at all, so I’m curious to see how they will interact, especially after everything has gone on.
The ending definitely carried for me. So so good. And so so heartbreaking. Poor Aster 💔.
rubydeano_25's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aturb92's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really wanted more from this series as a whole. The magic system felt like it was never quite fleshed out. I filled the early-mid 2000’s teen vibe for me so that was enjoyable. I think there is so much to this story that we could have experienced. Loved the side characters, and the plot building relationally for those characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Death and War
laurenharper's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this one more than the first book. Cant wait to see what happens in the third book!
marisa27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0