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kozmikflowers's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
meghan_solo's review
3.5
I just need to reread these when I am less busy and can pay attention to the world building more
jenedwards's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dmratcliff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Consistency matters when listening to audio books. I disliked that there was a different narrator for this book than book 1 & 3. It detracted from the listening experience.
ellekhupe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mariah13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nocorset's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
clotalksbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Sadly, I'm disappointed with this one. Things that I struggled with in the first book seemed magnified in this one. The writing was a little... immature for me which was in stark contrast to the brutality of the action. Some of the descriptions of death were rather disgusting haha. Internal eye rolls at the "revelations" by Deka, who is rather slow and would say things that frustrated me.
The story has such potential, and this book just didn't deliver fully for me. It weirdly felt like not much was happening, despite lots of repetitive action, until the very end which (similar to the first book) saved it for me. There are some scenes towards the end that really touched me and got me feeling like yes, this is the glimmer of gold I have been waiting for. Hence my overall rating.
There are lots more diverse representations in this book, which at times felt like unnecessary spotlighting without feeding the story. I'm hoping this gets explored in greater depth in the next book.
Maybe this is just a scene setter for the third book. I will still continue the series as I am invested. Fingers crossed the third one is more for me.
The story has such potential, and this book just didn't deliver fully for me. It weirdly felt like not much was happening, despite lots of repetitive action, until the very end which (similar to the first book) saved it for me. There are some scenes towards the end that really touched me and got me feeling like yes, this is the glimmer of gold I have been waiting for. Hence my overall rating.
There are lots more diverse representations in this book, which at times felt like unnecessary spotlighting without feeding the story. I'm hoping this gets explored in greater depth in the next book.
Maybe this is just a scene setter for the third book. I will still continue the series as I am invested. Fingers crossed the third one is more for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
oatmealpony's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
This sequel to [b:The Gilded Ones|40024121|The Gilded Ones (The Gilded Ones, #1)|Namina Forna|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585578175l/40024121._SY75_.jpg|61991286] starts off with a bang and the violence, horror, and brutality that our heroine Deka goes through is pretty much nonstop.
Make no bones about it, this world is not nice and it certainly isn’t pretty. Having fought valiantly to sever the bonds that held her prisoner, Deka and her friends have escaped their cruel patriarchal society and are set to rebuild their lives with the newly freed goddesses who promote equality and peace.
Well, the dream had to die at some point right? Secrets abound, sinister plots have been in the making for thousands of years, and what Deka and her friends find out is that they’re far from winning the war because of course, their and everyone else’s existence is in danger of extinction.
Never shirking on tough topics of religion, oppression, and slavery, this world holds nothing back on callous self-serving power plays nor the gory cruel bloodshed. This might be YA, but it surely is rated R. However, because of the depressing heavy themes dealt with, no one will be surprised that there’s very little enjoyment here, hence the lower rating. Regardless, I look forward to Deka coming into her full glory and saving herself, her found family and ultimately, the entire world of Otera in the last installment to come!
This sequel to [b:The Gilded Ones|40024121|The Gilded Ones (The Gilded Ones, #1)|Namina Forna|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585578175l/40024121._SY75_.jpg|61991286] starts off with a bang and the violence, horror, and brutality that our heroine Deka goes through is pretty much nonstop.
Make no bones about it, this world is not nice and it certainly isn’t pretty. Having fought valiantly to sever the bonds that held her prisoner, Deka and her friends have escaped their cruel patriarchal society and are set to rebuild their lives with the newly freed goddesses who promote equality and peace.
Well, the dream had to die at some point right? Secrets abound, sinister plots have been in the making for thousands of years, and what Deka and her friends find out is that they’re far from winning the war because of course, their and everyone else’s existence is in danger of extinction.
Never shirking on tough topics of religion, oppression, and slavery, this world holds nothing back on callous self-serving power plays nor the gory cruel bloodshed. This might be YA, but it surely is rated R. However, because of the depressing heavy themes dealt with, no one will be surprised that there’s very little enjoyment here, hence the lower rating. Regardless, I look forward to Deka coming into her full glory and saving herself, her found family and ultimately, the entire world of Otera in the last installment to come!