Reviews with content warning for Violence - Red Skies Falling

While not a 5 star like the first book, this one was still super fun!! I love the queer-normative world and the mental health rep. Just a few things didn't perfectly line up for me.

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ls_alexiou's review

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challenging dark tense 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

5.0

This whole trilogy is absolutely phenomenal. I would definitely recommend reading all three because the ultimate meaning behind everything isn't revealed until the end of the final book-- and it's absolutely brilliant.

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lessthelonely's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is another book I got myself for Christmas - more like, I got my mom to offer it to me, which was a brilliant move on my part since she actually said Yes, for once. There's nothing like buying books with money that doesn't make your wallet lighter. Not going to lie, it was well deserved after a few months of reading book after book with my Kindle.

Reading in paper is fun, what can I say? And it's good to finally stop being afraid of sequels, as this is the 2nd sequel I read in my life. OK, I read All For The Game but not going to lie, that book doesn't count. I read Black Wings Beating last year and it was quite a surprise. Let's be real, I wasn't expecting a good fantasy book from a man. I've been hearing a lot of things about books like Infinity Son by Adam Silvera or even Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson, which I did enjoy a lot.

But this is high fantasy. It's make-or-break on its premise alone and I was, to be completely honest, expecting a fall from grace after a decent Book 1. Sagging middle syndrome, as it's called. It's hard to say if this is what actually happened, since this book is great at making you want more and more. But I wouldn't say this book is all that good in delivering a plot that's always moving. The author certainly makes some characters drop dead to give you a sense of dread, but then I've seen this trilogy being called the Game of Thrones of YA and I'm like... Maybe don't make those comparisons.

First of all, this book isn't really close to what Game of Thrones has managed to do in the books that are out - this coming from someone who only watched the TV Show and gave up on S08E05, which I'm sure we're all fine with -, but secondly, being compared to Game of Thrones isn't a good thing anymore, which is great. Not going to lie, I was tired of the hype.

For a book 2, this is above passable. I'd say it doesn't deliver as well in the action front, but I was kind of intrigued by the choice of frequently changing the POV between Kylee and Brysen, which I'm pretty sure a lot of people have started finding a lot less insufferable with this book.

The romance in this book is also delightful. Obviously, Kylee is still asexual arromantic, from what I can tell, but Brysen and Jowyn got time to shine and actually reach healthy romance. It was extremely fun and I'd say it was the best part of the book outside of the final pages, where shit actually starts happening and Brysen goes all Luís de Camões - if you don't understand what I'm talking about just by reading it, don't go look it up.

In the end, I'm intrigued to know where Mr. London is going to take this in the final book. Also, the cover artist for these books needs a raise.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

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

Rep: Aroace BIPOC female MC, achillean (gay coded) BIPOC male MC, achillean male side character, side WLW couple.

CWs: Animal death, blood, death, fire, injury/injury detail, murder, violence, war. Moderate: gore, torture, sexual content, past mentions of child abuse & physical abuse.

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sandy_21's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

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nobirdtennis's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

oh my god i love this book SO MUCH! this book is just as good as the first, if not better. i loved black wings beating so much, and this felt like the right direction to go next. the character development was a meaningful extension of what happened in bwb. i wasn’t sure how i felt about the political themes at first, but they grew on me over the course of the book. kylee and brysen are both such well written characters. they feel real. i love jowyn and brysen’s relationship! the world building was developed well as well. there’s not anything i can think of that i didn’t like about this book! i love the different ways the dynamic between predator and prey was utilized: in politics, in war, and between birds and humans. the hollow tongue is an amazing way to explore characters’ motivations. i would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who loved the first, and i’d recommend the series to anyone who likes books with queer representation, fantasy books, or both!

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