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porque_no's review
2.5
Rather a let down from the first book. I'm tired of FMCs staying with insufferable MMCs and tolerating abusive behavior for their 'potential'. Also, you don't need a pregnancy for a happy ending. It came out of nowhere and didn't fit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy
pinkgiraffe17's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Extremely jarring body horror/pregnancy/miscarriage horror that really should have been more clearly disclosed at the start of the book. I would strongly advise anyone who has had these experiences to take a closer look at the trigger warnings before starting this book so no one is caught out.
In the acknowledgements at the end of this book, the author talks about how much she struggled to write this sequel and it really shows. Reincarnation stories are never my favourite anyway, because it feels like throwing away the character you just worked so hard to develop. Valtu, our male lead, also felt like a completely different character. His amnesia combined with the reincarnation thing just made it a worse version of the first book as it felt like we rushed through them falling in love and finding each other again. Characters that were prominent in the first book completely disappeared, wasting all the work that was put in to develop them. Along with massive inconsistencies that were missed in editing. The conclusion of the story felt really rushed and like we missed out on the most important part where Rose's family reconnects.
So many threads were completely dropped from the first book - the portals that the book could open, Saara, Bellamy's intentions. Dahliah was a more enjoyable character, as a slightly older protagonist with more life experience. All of that is erased and Rose is basically a bland doormat in this book.
All in all, it's clear Karina Halle really struggled with this story and I'm genuinely not sure if it's worth reading to complete the story arc.
In the acknowledgements at the end of this book, the author talks about how much she struggled to write this sequel and it really shows. Reincarnation stories are never my favourite anyway, because it feels like throwing away the character you just worked so hard to develop. Valtu, our male lead, also felt like a completely different character. His amnesia combined with the reincarnation thing just made it a worse version of the first book as it felt like we rushed through them falling in love and finding each other again. Characters that were prominent in the first book completely disappeared, wasting all the work that was put in to develop them. Along with massive inconsistencies that were missed in editing. The conclusion of the story felt really rushed and like we missed out on the most important part where Rose's family reconnects.
So many threads were completely dropped from the first book - the portals that the book could open, Saara, Bellamy's intentions. Dahliah was a more enjoyable character, as a slightly older protagonist with more life experience. All of that is erased and Rose is basically a bland doormat in this book.
All in all, it's clear Karina Halle really struggled with this story and I'm genuinely not sure if it's worth reading to complete the story arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
romancereviewed's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Pregnancy