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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book was TORTURE. So so sad and frustrating the whole way through!!! These characters better get some sort of happiness in the third book Sarah, or I will RIOT!
Summary: Orlaith journeys to Bahari in preparation for her coupling with Cainon. Cainon is so obviously manipulating Orlaith and dangles the promise of the ships in her face the whole book. Also he is hello creepy about her "virtue" and whether she will "bleed for him" š¤®š¤® and I hate it.
What I hate more is Orlaith constantly making the WORST decisions on impulse. I get that she is naive/sheltered and pissed at Rhordyn so her dumb decisions make sense in that context but.... it's SO fucking painful to read. Girl is MESSY in this book.
Rhordyn naturally follows Orlaith to Bahari and is watching over her while trying to secure the ships for his people. We get a lot more of his perspective and honestly, he is perfect and I love him. š I just whish Orlaith would get her head out of her ass and see that she holds his "cold, cripples heart in the palm of her hand".
TLDR; Sarah seems to enjoy making her readers suffer... yet I will keep reading this series in the hopes of a HEA.
Summary: Orlaith journeys to Bahari in preparation for her coupling with Cainon. Cainon is so obviously manipulating Orlaith and dangles the promise of the ships in her face the whole book. Also he is hello creepy about her "virtue" and whether she will "bleed for him" š¤®š¤® and I hate it.
What I hate more is Orlaith constantly making the WORST decisions on impulse. I get that she is naive/sheltered and pissed at Rhordyn so her dumb decisions make sense in that context but.... it's SO fucking painful to read. Girl is MESSY in this book.
Rhordyn naturally follows Orlaith to Bahari and is watching over her while trying to secure the ships for his people. We get a lot more of his perspective and honestly, he is perfect and I love him. š I just whish Orlaith would get her head out of her ass and see that she holds his "cold, cripples heart in the palm of her hand".
TLDR; Sarah seems to enjoy making her readers suffer... yet I will keep reading this series in the hopes of a HEA.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
The way this book destroyed me. I cannot even begin to describe.
Watching Orlaithās journey in this book was a bit like watching a train wreck, but it feels like something she needs to go through to come out the other end.
Kai!!! His story in this was..unique and Iām really interested to see what role he is going to play in all of this.
Rhordyn I am still absolutely in love with.
This whole book had me on edge dying to know what was going to happen next. And I was not ready for the end, but I am desperate for book 3.
Watching Orlaithās journey in this book was a bit like watching a train wreck, but it feels like something she needs to go through to come out the other end.
Kai!!! His story in this was..unique and Iām really interested to see what role he is going to play in all of this.
Rhordyn I am still absolutely in love with.
This whole book had me on edge dying to know what was going to happen next. And I was not ready for the end, but I am desperate for book 3.
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: 3.75 stars
Spice: š¶ļøš¶ļø
Tropes:
āļøDark romance
āļøFae/fae adjacent
āļøFairytale retelling
āļøForbidden romance
āļøForced proximity
āļøSecret identity/disguise
āļøOne night stand
āļøMorally grey hero
āļøFated mates(?)
āļøCliffhanger ending
Iām still not entirely sure how I feel about this series. Itās so odd. I absolutely devour these books in one sitting, and yet I come away questioning everything, understanding nothing, and wondering what is even the point of it all? Yet the fascination doesnāt end. Ugh.
This book picks up where the last left off. Orlaith is traveling south to join her promised. She meets danger, betrayal, and mutiny head-on, sometimes coming away the victor, other times barely surviving. She herself isnāt sure what she wants at this point. She remembers too much of her past, and she blames herself for things that were well outside her control. After she reaches the southern islands, she embarks on an absolute bender of self-destruction, intent on punishing herself for her perceived crimes. Every wrong decision she can make, she makes it on purpose. Every single action she can take to hurt herself, she makes. I wonāt mind this so much if itās all on a journey to make her a stronger, more secure character, but even I can only take so much self-hatred. She does also begin to seek out others like herself, desperate to learn more about the history thatās been hidden from her. In the background of this, we get new POVs that only add to the immersion of the world.
Rhordyn has somehow changed immensely since the first book. Whatever was holding him back there seems to no longer apply, and he pursues Laith just as he warned her he would: relentlessly and doggedly. He does seem a bit more determined to be open with her in this instance as well, after expressing surprise at how much sheās changed and grown. Perhaps heād been withholding information in the first only due to her trauma and her own self-isolation, and now that sheās more willing to ālive,ā he feels he can give her more of the tough answers she seeks. All of this culminates and simmers until it eventually boils over into an intense cliffhanger ending.
We donāt really get any more answers or resolution in this book, only more questions. Parker throws us a few crumbs of information and plot, and we lick it up from the floor like the desperate little readers we are. But still nothing really makes sense. Weāre as in the dark as Laith is. This is mostly why Iām docking points. I donāt mind character-driven books, but there is some plot going on here. I would expect a little bit more resolution by the end of two entire books in a series, not a continued build-up of confusion. And yet Iām still here reading and intrigued, so I guess itās my own damn fault.
The relationship between the MCs is only slightly less toxic than before. As I said above, Rhordyn in book one had been obsessed with Orlaith getting out of her tower, going past their stone boundary line in order to see more of the āreal worldā and live. Orlaith was the one terrified to do so. Now that sheās out and showing more fire and brimstone in her character than anyone had a right to expect, it seems to me like Rhordyn has decided to treat her slightly more like an equal like a frightened child. He answers most of her questions, he gives her the freedom to make her own mistakes and live her own life. I still think their power dynamic is unbalanced and probably always will be, but itās a step in the right direction. Well, until that ending it was.
What are you trying to do to us, Sarah?!?!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Still lots of questions!
Also, girl you know these two men are putting you in the middle. Using you. So, why when one finally tells you āWhatās Up,ā you blindly believe everything and not get the other side?!
Also, Orlaith makes me want to š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø often. LISTEN to people that you know you can trust! If every time you donāt stay put, after being begged to, something bad happens, then maybe you should STAY PUT!
Still believe her relationships are toxic!!!
Also, girl you know these two men are putting you in the middle. Using you. So, why when one finally tells you āWhatās Up,ā you blindly believe everything and not get the other side?!
Also, Orlaith makes me want to š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø often. LISTEN to people that you know you can trust! If every time you donāt stay put, after being begged to, something bad happens, then maybe you should STAY PUT!
Still believe her relationships are toxic!!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very on the fence about this series after book 1. Did I rate it at 4/5, yes. Did I understand why? No. Something about this series is so very compelling. The writing is vivid and emotional. I can't say Orlaith is my favorite character, but she's so real. She's naive, flawed, and driven by both logic and her impulses. While that doesn't always make her likable, it makes her incredibly real and complex and I really like that. In my review of To Bleed A Crystal Bloom, I created the below list. I'm going to update it for this novel.
Things I Definitely Liked:
- It kept me engaged, I wanted to keep reading and learning more and this continues to be true, I binged book 2 in a day
- The writing style might not be for everyone but I loved it. It was emotional and it conveyed really well what Orlaith was going through in the moment
- The POV changes always felt intentional and kept us learning without really giving us anything Orlaith didnāt know already so we were as in the dark as she was about most things
- The characters are complex and interesting and there is more depth to everyone than I even considered.
- Thereās some politics and such I see coming and I love a good battle of the minds
- We definitely have maneuvering and manipulating going on, Orlaith feels like she's in control of some of it, but is she really?
- You see so many of these relationships develop, some are more toxic than I originally thought, some are less, but they are all so interesting
Things Iām on the Fence About:
- So many toxic relationships. Does no one here ever tell the truth?? Also is there anyone who isnāt in a weird tension situation ship or screwing everyone? Maybe this will resolve itself somewhatMoved this up to things I like
Things I Didnāt Like:
- I was so incredibly confused for most of the book about what was happening. Iāve now started the next book so Iām less confused but I wish we had gotten something more in book 1. Iām just glad book 2 was there for me to start immediatelyAs Orlaith became less confused, so did I, it's not all clear yet but its much better
- Certain issues of how to handle feelings that come with parts of womanhood gave me the ick. See above about toxic relationships
I now see where we needed Book 1 to setup everything that's started to happen and I'm entirely invested.
Things I Definitely Liked:
- It kept me engaged, I wanted to keep reading and learning more and this continues to be true, I binged book 2 in a day
- The writing style might not be for everyone but I loved it. It was emotional and it conveyed really well what Orlaith was going through in the moment
- The POV changes always felt intentional and kept us learning without really giving us anything Orlaith didnāt know already so we were as in the dark as she was about most things
- The characters are complex and interesting and there is more depth to everyone than I even considered.
- We definitely have maneuvering and manipulating going on, Orlaith feels like she's in control of some of it, but is she really?
Spoiler
Cainon definitely has some dark things happening and is seriously manipulating her.- You see so many of these relationships develop, some are more toxic than I originally thought, some are less, but they are all so interesting
Things Iām on the Fence About:
Things I Didnāt Like:
I now see where we needed Book 1 to setup everything that's started to happen and I'm entirely invested.