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koistyfishy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Should you read it? Yes
Was it amazing? No (but you need to get to book 3 so you kinda have to)
Basically two was ok… it wasn’t better than book 1 but had elements of it that were beyond measure of the first book. Mostly since this is not the first book, you already know the characters slightly and the world system so you can jump right into plot…
Now we jump into the spoiler territory so
On to that rushed point, it really annoys me about books when the pacing feels off at the start and doesn’t remain consistent and then everything is slapped on the end. This one starts of ok but then it reaches a point where it’s just slowly ebbing along with nothing going up and down… and then WHAM, BAM, Thank you Ma’am… the last few chapters (not like half the book), like 10 pages is just BOOM! All the action.
To me this book mainly just focuses on Lila getting into her power but I am still confused as to why all of a sudden she has power. The magic system isn’t really explained very well you just have to believe Lila knows she is magical enough to enter this tournament but you never actually see her use magic until the fights. I can understand if VE wanted to use that as surprise factor but it felt disconnected from what we were told to what we see everywhere outside the ring…so I think that could have used a little more polishing. Also everything builds up to this tournament and we hardly see anything of the fights…
The characters overall are a little bit irritating. Lila is sometimes bratty in her confidence and just insufferable. Kell is just moapy THE WHOLE BOOK and everyone is just treating him like shit when they really shouldn’t cause he just saved Rhy’s life but no… and Rhy just gave up and lost his spark and pizazz and whist there are reasons for this all it was at times is annoying to read.
I did really like Alucard though and he makes up for a lot of the other characters. He adds a lot to the story. He is so funny and smooth and loveable but he doesn’t get enough spotlight and I wanted more.
It felt like some of the angst was too on purpose by keeping the characters apart for so long just to add extended yearning and while I love some angst in my novels…. This was just too much…
I did love the ballroom scene where everything was catastrophic 🫢
Graphic: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
danajoy's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Alcohol, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Confinement, Violence, Torture, Slavery, and Physical abuse
lucygraham_27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Murder
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Blood
oliverreeds's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, and Violence
taryn_g's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Blood
escapismforlife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Can you hear me almost falling to grab the third off my shelf?
I haven't felt like this since reading the Legend trilogy Marie Lu back in high school. Or even finishing Ember in The Ashes Series just last year. I've got through this series quicker than both. It's taken me a month. And I am eager to see what happens. Though I think its already been told shown to me in this. <spoiler >Something to do with a dark Lila shown to her. By a dark mirror in a illegal market.
Anyways, I'm wrecked because of the ending. Delilah Bard is the true antihero/thief/magician of London. And the fact she's the strong one in the kind of relationship with Kell is the best thing ever. I love seeing an average woman do extraordinary and dangerous things. And I'm ready to see things take a left turn for once.
Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Murder, Self harm, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
laurynreadsbooks's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Self harm
reddeddy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
overall a solid sequel, and im so looking forward to the last one, especially after that cliffhanger…i mainly had issues with some of the character development, especially Lila, because i feel like she doesn’t get the same kind of nuance as Kell or even Rhy, especially with everything going on, it feels like she doesn’t ever get the same emotional depth the others do, but hopefully in the next book she will!
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Dysphoria, Grief, Torture, and Sexual assault
Minor: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Dementia, Misogyny, and War