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onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Where the first book felt like it was full to the brim, with fast pacing and a tight plot, the sequel honestly dragged a little bit for me. I knew going in that the two main characters I had gotten so attached to would spend at least some time apart. This doesn't often work for me, because once I'm invested in the romance, I crave that progression. Unfortunately, Lan and Zen remain at opposite ends for a large chunk of this. I can understand why, but it meant I was not as emotionally invested in the story as I was hoping to be. That said, the scenes where they were together were gripping. Lan feels like such a fully fleshed out character to me. Her reactions can be extreme, but in a way that reminds me that, for all that she has suffered already, she's still young, and her emotions are running high. On the opposite side of that, Zen felt more melancholic than ever. I appreciated the way their meetings and confrontations went, because they didn't go where I was expecting them to, and I liked being kept on my toes.
The pacing picks up a bit for the last 25%, but before that it's pretty slow going. I liked a lot of what I got to see of the world, and the development in the lore. The author's writing is vivid—there were descriptions that bloomed in my mind like a scene out of a Ghibli movie. The ending, however, felt pretty rushed, and could've benefited from a bit more room to breathe.Erascius has been built up to be the worst thing in the universe, but he gets so easily defeated by someone we meet halfway through this book. I didn't mind the addition of a villain, but it did feel like a lot of false build-up by the end.
Where the first book felt like it was full to the brim, with fast pacing and a tight plot, the sequel honestly dragged a little bit for me. I knew going in that the two main characters I had gotten so attached to would spend at least some time apart. This doesn't often work for me, because once I'm invested in the romance, I crave that progression. Unfortunately, Lan and Zen remain at opposite ends for a large chunk of this. I can understand why, but it meant I was not as emotionally invested in the story as I was hoping to be. That said, the scenes where they were together were gripping. Lan feels like such a fully fleshed out character to me. Her reactions can be extreme, but in a way that reminds me that, for all that she has suffered already, she's still young, and her emotions are running high. On the opposite side of that, Zen felt more melancholic than ever. I appreciated the way their meetings and confrontations went, because they didn't go where I was expecting them to, and I liked being kept on my toes.
The pacing picks up a bit for the last 25%, but before that it's pretty slow going. I liked a lot of what I got to see of the world, and the development in the lore. The author's writing is vivid—there were descriptions that bloomed in my mind like a scene out of a Ghibli movie. The ending, however, felt pretty rushed, and could've benefited from a bit more room to breathe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
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