Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Carmen (La Cuerva) has returned to the resistance (La Voz) after her undercover operation to work against the government from inside the house of a powerful man. She has left behind Dani, first wife to Carmen's second in the most dominant family in the government, who last saw Carmen revealed as a part of the resistance and was left behind to pick up the pieces after a lethal terrorist attack. Carmen has faith that Dani will still prioritize and side with the resistance, but she has no way to know for sure.
Her return to La Voz is not entirely without complication. Her former friend and current ally Alex is skeptical about Carmen's loyalties, and she's not the only one. El Buitre, the leader of the resistance, also questions Carmen and tests her to prove her commitment. Meanwhile, newcomer Ari is stirring up the community and sending people on missions without the follow-through to extract people safely.
Carmen has to decide whether she is loyal to the cause or to the people leading it, and what to do about her feelings for Dani, all at the same time.
This sequel wasn't quite as compelling as the initial book.
There's a lot of back and forth about Carmen privately angsting about her position vs her feelings for Dani, but Dani doesn't make an appearance until halfway through the book at least and the back and forth is a little repetitive without much mean to work with.
The structure of La Voz is less stable than before by a significant amount, but we don't see them planning missions really, just arguing about whether or not Dani needs to be killed. The group that planned the stunts in book one is much reduced.
I did enjoy Carmen's journey once she actually got going, but it did take a while and I would have liked to cut to the action more, either with more going on at La Voz's camp or on the road.
There are deaths in this book that feel like they happen really quickly and there isn't enough time spent coming to terms with the absence left behind by those losses. That's fair for one, because we weren't familiar with the character, but the other should have felt heavier and not quite as overcome-by-events.
The twist and conclusion felt a bit too easy also; everything was wrapped up with a bow really quickly and without the kind of losses and struggle that one would hope for. There wasn't the same nuance and depth that I saw in book 1, and I missed it.
Overall, it's a good book but it doesn't stand up to the promise set by book 1. It does complete the story but I think that Mejia could have developed the ideas a little more fully like as happened in book one.
Her return to La Voz is not entirely without complication. Her former friend and current ally Alex is skeptical about Carmen's loyalties, and she's not the only one. El Buitre, the leader of the resistance, also questions Carmen and tests her to prove her commitment. Meanwhile, newcomer Ari is stirring up the community and sending people on missions without the follow-through to extract people safely.
Carmen has to decide whether she is loyal to the cause or to the people leading it, and what to do about her feelings for Dani, all at the same time.
This sequel wasn't quite as compelling as the initial book.
There's a lot of back and forth about Carmen privately angsting about her position vs her feelings for Dani, but Dani doesn't make an appearance until halfway through the book at least and the back and forth is a little repetitive without much mean to work with.
The structure of La Voz is less stable than before by a significant amount, but we don't see them planning missions really, just arguing about whether or not Dani needs to be killed. The group that planned the stunts in book one is much reduced.
I did enjoy Carmen's journey once she actually got going, but it did take a while and I would have liked to cut to the action more, either with more going on at La Voz's camp or on the road.
There are deaths in this book that feel like they happen really quickly and there isn't enough time spent coming to terms with the absence left behind by those losses. That's fair for one, because we weren't familiar with the character, but the other should have felt heavier and not quite as overcome-by-events.
The twist and conclusion felt a bit too easy also; everything was wrapped up with a bow really quickly and without the kind of losses and struggle that one would hope for. There wasn't the same nuance and depth that I saw in book 1, and I missed it.
Overall, it's a good book but it doesn't stand up to the promise set by book 1. It does complete the story but I think that Mejia could have developed the ideas a little more fully like as happened in book one.
adventurous
inspiring
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
3.5 stars!
I enjoyed Carmens perspective more than Dani's, but again felt like somethings were predictable and found in frustrating when the characters were missing obvious things. But this was still a fun light read and i finished this book with tears in my eyes.
*small spoiler*
"Carmen felt she was being left somehow cleaner than she had been found. Purer. How could something that was said to be so wring do all that? How could something the gods supposedly denied feel like a baptism? How could it feel like faith" this angsty religious lesbian content is exactly what i was here for. *chefs kiss*
I enjoyed Carmens perspective more than Dani's, but again felt like somethings were predictable and found in frustrating when the characters were missing obvious things. But this was still a fun light read and i finished this book with tears in my eyes.
*small spoiler*
"Carmen felt she was being left somehow cleaner than she had been found. Purer. How could something that was said to be so wring do all that? How could something the gods supposedly denied feel like a baptism? How could it feel like faith" this angsty religious lesbian content is exactly what i was here for. *chefs kiss*
This was just okay to me. Mostly because it's only from Carmen's POV and therefor the entire story is only told from / about / around the resistance. And guess who doesn't really like stories solely about oppression and resistance all that much? Me, it's me... (really doubting my choices to keep reading dystopian kind of novels right now as well...)
Any how, I missed Dani, I would've enjoyed this so much more if it was told form both Carmen's and Dani's POV. So my very obvious summary for this 3 star rating: enjoyed it, but nothing memorable or amazing.
Any how, I missed Dani, I would've enjoyed this so much more if it was told form both Carmen's and Dani's POV. So my very obvious summary for this 3 star rating: enjoyed it, but nothing memorable or amazing.
This book picks up right from the end of book one, and we follow Carmen this time, and get to know her much better. This is not the same young woman we met in book one, the beautifully attired and soft spoken segunda. We get a better picture of La Vos' leadership, aims, and readiness to deal with armed conflicts with the brutal government.
In Carmen, Mejia gives us a portrayal of a young woman who is considerably more violent, determined, intelligent, and analytical than what she showed of herself in book one. It's an interesting choice to show us this young woman as she really is, to make Carmen much more hard-edged, which is logical considering her upbringing and training in La Vos.
At the same time, there's some really lovely, sensitive work by the author in the scenes where Dani and Carmen reunite and must reconsider much of what they each thought of each other, in order to figure out what they mean to one other. I loved the way the author had the young women really wrestle with their feelings and assumptions.
I have no idea if the author intends to return to this world, and I would love that as there was much I would still like to know, but I really loved how how Mejia wrapped up this story.
In Carmen, Mejia gives us a portrayal of a young woman who is considerably more violent, determined, intelligent, and analytical than what she showed of herself in book one. It's an interesting choice to show us this young woman as she really is, to make Carmen much more hard-edged, which is logical considering her upbringing and training in La Vos.
At the same time, there's some really lovely, sensitive work by the author in the scenes where Dani and Carmen reunite and must reconsider much of what they each thought of each other, in order to figure out what they mean to one other. I loved the way the author had the young women really wrestle with their feelings and assumptions.
I have no idea if the author intends to return to this world, and I would love that as there was much I would still like to know, but I really loved how how Mejia wrapped up this story.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Hi, I love books centered around bad ass girls loving girls who’ll die for each other because of their love and loyalty to one another. Sequels can be tricky, but I really feel that Mejía got it right here. I enjoyed having Carmen’s POV, and felt it helped add more to the story of her and Dani. Their romance had such a satisfying ending, and I was glad to see more info on La Voz throughout this side of the story, especially the parts where Carmen is learning to balance her loyalty to the cause and her love for Dani. MORE WLW FANTASY YA PLEASE.
sad
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Body horror