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fairytale42's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore
I'll be the first to say it...Jalissa and Edmund are lovely, but man, I really preferred the Farrendel and Essie chapters. It's not to say this book isn't good - the plot was developed and interesting, the character development of Jalissa and Edmund is great, and the romance was sweet. But seeing Farrendel and Essie grow in their relationship and start building their future together was far more adorable since we have more history with those two. (I am LIVING for Farrendel's humor and Essie's teasing.) As for Edmund and Jalissa, I didn't like the whole "third time's the charm" deal at first since there was so much we were missing, but about half way through the book, we learn a pretty big secret that was a great insight onto what happened in the past. However, the best part was seeing Jalissa and Edmund come to trust each other, be vulnerable, and reveal past secrets. By the end, I was far more invested in their romance, it just took a long while to get there. On the plot side, I was a bit (I had to say it) bored. I know it was exciting, and there were definitely some parts where I was terrified for the characters, but a lot of the spying stuff had me snoozing. But seeing more of the alliances between Kostaria, Tarenheil, and Escarland was nice, as was seeing the different family members interact. Melantha and Rarreth weren't in here a lot, but I did like seeing some more closure with them. Overall, it was definitely great writing, plot, and character development wise, but I just want more Farrendel and Essie. Not the author's fault.
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