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boomwormbrittany's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Strange Hymn is the second book in The Bargainer series by Laura Thalassa. The first book, Rhapsodic follows Cali who is a siren that owes many debts to a man named the Bargainer. The day comes when he demands repayment and it is not what Cali thinks it will be.
First off, I loved reading this book and falling back into this world again. This is such an easy story to fall into and read really quickly. I loved being back with Cali and Des and seeing what is happening in the world after the ending of book one.
As always, I really liked Cali as a character. She definitely doesn't let Des get away with things and insists on being apart of everything that is happening. Although she has her moments where she stumbles and falls, she manages to pull herself back up again and is such a strong character. I really love Des as a character. He gives off the vibes of "touch her and you die or she'll kill you herself and I'll watch" which I just love. I love that he's willing to let Cali be apart of everything and doesn't try to hold her back but push her to her full potential. I also have to give a shout out to my favorite secondary character, Temper, who had me laughing several times throughout this. She is a real best friend and awesome.
I really enjoyed seeing the world expand in this book and seeing more of the other courts in this. It was interesting to see how other courts ran things differently than Des does. There are times where the other courts are so despicable and it's clear that Des doesn't want to be a part of that. I loved that Cali would call out injustices in the courts and, even if it could lead to war, that Des stood by her and her choice to do that.
The last 50 pages of this book had me gasping out loud and freaking out at the twists that were thrown into it. I really enjoyed those last 50 pages and this book left me screaming at it because I couldn't believe the ending.
Overall, I had such a fun time reading this book and I am so excited to read the novella and the last book in this series.
First off, I loved reading this book and falling back into this world again. This is such an easy story to fall into and read really quickly. I loved being back with Cali and Des and seeing what is happening in the world after the ending of book one.
As always, I really liked Cali as a character. She definitely doesn't let Des get away with things and insists on being apart of everything that is happening. Although she has her moments where she stumbles and falls, she manages to pull herself back up again and is such a strong character. I really love Des as a character. He gives off the vibes of "touch her and you die or she'll kill you herself and I'll watch" which I just love. I love that he's willing to let Cali be apart of everything and doesn't try to hold her back but push her to her full potential. I also have to give a shout out to my favorite secondary character, Temper, who had me laughing several times throughout this. She is a real best friend and awesome.
I really enjoyed seeing the world expand in this book and seeing more of the other courts in this. It was interesting to see how other courts ran things differently than Des does. There are times where the other courts are so despicable and it's clear that Des doesn't want to be a part of that. I loved that Cali would call out injustices in the courts and, even if it could lead to war, that Des stood by her and her choice to do that.
The last 50 pages of this book had me gasping out loud and freaking out at the twists that were thrown into it. I really enjoyed those last 50 pages and this book left me screaming at it because I couldn't believe the ending.
Overall, I had such a fun time reading this book and I am so excited to read the novella and the last book in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Where some second books have the dreaded second book syndrome (aka they’re just filler), A Strange Hymn managed to avoid it. The development of both plot and characters is smooth and rather impressive. I truly enjoyed the reintroduction to Temperance. Other than the fade to black spicy scenes, it is an excellent middle book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol and Rape
baukje87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape and Incest
Minor: Murder
natmhm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Slavery, and Gaslighting
juliette_95's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half is really slow but the second half is fast!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Cursing, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Death
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