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unsaidwish's review against another edition
4.0
After having read the second book, it is clear to me this is a more character-driven series than dealing with world building or an intricate plot. The denouement of the conflict in this second book was tied up in just a couple of sentences, which was a little bit of a let down. However, I still love the characters and their relationships.
kaytealin's review against another edition
3.0
This book was better than the first one, but I still wanted more, maybe an epilogue would have helped. Britta needing to sort out her feelings was dumb, when the reader already knows she loves Cohen. The author skimmed over some things, just telling us they happened, when I really wanted to read more about the characters experiencing those events.
morgarelibrare's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 Stars)
Ever the Brave picks up not long after the cliffhanger ending that Ever the Hunted so graciously delivered, delving right back into the fantasy world of kingdoms and magic.
One new aspect this book delivers is multiple points of view. In Ever the Hunted, we were only ever in Britta’s head, living her thoughts and feelings and experiences. In Ever the Brave, we stay with Britta, but we also get to do a deep dive into the inner thoughts of both Cohen and the young King Aodren. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this initially, but once I started getting into the meat of the story, I was appreciative for the multiple POVs. It really helped with the pacing, and moving around within the world, allowing the reader to be aware of what’s happening in each thread of the story.
The ending of book one left Britta untethered from her love Cohen, and with a new connection to King Aodren. This was a major plot point that was explored throughout the novel and it mostly just aggravated me because it meant the introduction of a love triangle, which is my least favorite trope to read about. The King as a person also kind of bothered me. It was good to get to read his POV because it really showed who he was a person and solidified my dislike for certain aspects of his personality and attitude. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that his disrespect for Britta’s relationship with Cohen was a little unnerving and he basically felt like because they weren’t married, she was fair game, regardless of how she felt. He was still interesting to read about, and definitely grew as a character throughout the story after being faced with challenging situations, which lead to me liking him more in the end.
That being said, Cohen is also a flawed character, but that also makes him interesting to read about, and leaves room for development. He was definitely overbearing at times and over protective, and both he and Britta have a penchant for miscommunication (my other least favorite trope) so it was a little difficult to get through certain aspects of the novel. Mostly though, he is sweet and caring and loyal and will do anything to keep his family and Britta safe. His journey leads him to learn to overcome his insecurities, which ultimately aides in fixing the overbearing behavior.
Britta continued to be a fun main character. She’s still awesome with a bow, and she’s still fierce, but she also grows beyond what she was in book one. She’s often faced with hard choices, especially after being delivered shocking news about the mother she thought to be dead, but in the end she perseveres and comes out stronger. I think my favorite aspect of Britta’s character is her want to just live quietly in her cottage with Cohen, and have no one bother her ever, because I definitely relate. While saving the world and stopping evil appears to be in her channeler blood, being an introverted couch potato is clearly in her heart, and I like that about her.
Overall, the world is a fun one to visit, and the plot is interesting and a much faster pace than book one. The character growth and values they learn to embrace is helpful in combating the love triangle that frustrated me to no end. I really enjoyed this sequel and was definitely happy with the way it ended.
*Thank you to HMH and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Ever the Brave picks up not long after the cliffhanger ending that Ever the Hunted so graciously delivered, delving right back into the fantasy world of kingdoms and magic.
One new aspect this book delivers is multiple points of view. In Ever the Hunted, we were only ever in Britta’s head, living her thoughts and feelings and experiences. In Ever the Brave, we stay with Britta, but we also get to do a deep dive into the inner thoughts of both Cohen and the young King Aodren. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this initially, but once I started getting into the meat of the story, I was appreciative for the multiple POVs. It really helped with the pacing, and moving around within the world, allowing the reader to be aware of what’s happening in each thread of the story.
The ending of book one left Britta untethered from her love Cohen, and with a new connection to King Aodren. This was a major plot point that was explored throughout the novel and it mostly just aggravated me because it meant the introduction of a love triangle, which is my least favorite trope to read about. The King as a person also kind of bothered me. It was good to get to read his POV because it really showed who he was a person and solidified my dislike for certain aspects of his personality and attitude. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that his disrespect for Britta’s relationship with Cohen was a little unnerving and he basically felt like because they weren’t married, she was fair game, regardless of how she felt. He was still interesting to read about, and definitely grew as a character throughout the story after being faced with challenging situations, which lead to me liking him more in the end.
That being said, Cohen is also a flawed character, but that also makes him interesting to read about, and leaves room for development. He was definitely overbearing at times and over protective, and both he and Britta have a penchant for miscommunication (my other least favorite trope) so it was a little difficult to get through certain aspects of the novel. Mostly though, he is sweet and caring and loyal and will do anything to keep his family and Britta safe. His journey leads him to learn to overcome his insecurities, which ultimately aides in fixing the overbearing behavior.
Britta continued to be a fun main character. She’s still awesome with a bow, and she’s still fierce, but she also grows beyond what she was in book one. She’s often faced with hard choices, especially after being delivered shocking news about the mother she thought to be dead, but in the end she perseveres and comes out stronger. I think my favorite aspect of Britta’s character is her want to just live quietly in her cottage with Cohen, and have no one bother her ever, because I definitely relate. While saving the world and stopping evil appears to be in her channeler blood, being an introverted couch potato is clearly in her heart, and I like that about her.
Overall, the world is a fun one to visit, and the plot is interesting and a much faster pace than book one. The character growth and values they learn to embrace is helpful in combating the love triangle that frustrated me to no end. I really enjoyed this sequel and was definitely happy with the way it ended.
*Thank you to HMH and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*
spiringempress's review against another edition
3.0
In this sequel to [b:Ever the Hunted|28114396|Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms, #1)|Erin Summerill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449917148l/28114396._SY75_.jpg|44491096], there have been some improvements but the overall book still suffers from the same problems as the first one. This book has the added benefit of having both Cohen and Aodren's perspective. However, as the story progresses, it honestly felt like these perspectives were added as fluff and to boost the page numbers as well as to draw out the plot.
[b:Ever the Brave|33413892|Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms #2)|Erin Summerill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492097152l/33413892._SY75_.jpg|48222154] centers around finding and locating the mistress of Lord Jamis, who attempted to assassinate King Aodren in the previous book. The three perspectives are focused on this plot in different ways. Cohen travels through the country and follows the trail of this woman/channeler to arrest her. Britta and Aodren are dealing with this problem closer to home. These two are also dealing with their newfound connection formed when Britta saved Aodren's life in the last book.
Somehow, Summerill creates a love triangle that is completely forced and unnecessary. First, there is absolutely no development beyond the connection formed between Aodren and Britta. Suddenly, they're connected by Britta's channeler power and ~*feel*~ drawn together. Of course, you do!! You're connected through magic and this does mean it's an actual attraction!!! Second, Britta has no chemistry with either Aodren or Cohen so it seems laughable that she's torn between these two men. I also feel very uncomfortable about Cohen's character. He did not accept Britta's magic and told her not to practice it because it was dangerous, but it honestly seemed like an excuse to control her. Cohen is very immature and not very appealing.
There is no plot to this series. Seriously, the whole plot revolved around finding Lord Jamis' mistress and taking her captive, but this introduced plotlines that did not play out. Instead, the story focused on the lackluster romance and weird situations, where the characters yet again were forced to travel around the country for no reason whatsoever. Also, the conflict between Malam and Shaerdan is barely involved in this book at all. Again, this world just does not feel very thought out, but instead functions as a backdrop for an awkward and forced love triangle.
[b:Ever the Brave|33413892|Ever the Brave (A Clash of Kingdoms #2)|Erin Summerill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492097152l/33413892._SY75_.jpg|48222154] centers around finding and locating the mistress of Lord Jamis, who attempted to assassinate King Aodren in the previous book. The three perspectives are focused on this plot in different ways. Cohen travels through the country and follows the trail of this woman/channeler to arrest her. Britta and Aodren are dealing with this problem closer to home. These two are also dealing with their newfound connection formed when Britta saved Aodren's life in the last book.
Somehow, Summerill creates a love triangle that is completely forced and unnecessary. First, there is absolutely no development beyond the connection formed between Aodren and Britta. Suddenly, they're connected by Britta's channeler power and ~*feel*~ drawn together. Of course, you do!! You're connected through magic and this does mean it's an actual attraction!!! Second, Britta has no chemistry with either Aodren or Cohen so it seems laughable that she's torn between these two men. I also feel very uncomfortable about Cohen's character. He did not accept Britta's magic and told her not to practice it because it was dangerous, but it honestly seemed like an excuse to control her. Cohen is very immature and not very appealing.
There is no plot to this series. Seriously, the whole plot revolved around finding Lord Jamis' mistress and taking her captive, but this introduced plotlines that did not play out. Instead, the story focused on the lackluster romance and weird situations, where the characters yet again were forced to travel around the country for no reason whatsoever. Also, the conflict between Malam and Shaerdan is barely involved in this book at all.
Spoiler
The revelation that Phelia aka Lord Jamis' mistress was completely unnecessary. I also didn't like how Aodren just decided to undo anti-channeler laws and there was concern about extreme reactions from this, but from what I know these laws were fairly new and not totally ingrained into the society.trianadevaux's review against another edition
5.0
As the sequel to Ever the Hunted, I was a bit worried for my favorite characters.
The plot was so well written and the main characters were so well thought out. Each character was so amazing and so well done, I just couldn't grasp how each of these characters thought because I felt that they were so complicated in their personalities.
The plot was so entertaining, there was the drama, the action, the romance, and even though there was a love triangle, I actually enjoyed the way this love triangle progressed through the novel.
overall, I adore this book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
The plot was so well written and the main characters were so well thought out. Each character was so amazing and so well done, I just couldn't grasp how each of these characters thought because I felt that they were so complicated in their personalities.
The plot was so entertaining, there was the drama, the action, the romance, and even though there was a love triangle, I actually enjoyed the way this love triangle progressed through the novel.
overall, I adore this book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
kayliana1011's review against another edition
3.0
Good book. Wish there was more background on villains. Really wish she chose differently in the end. Feel like more of a connection and similarly with the other choice and who she chose would work better with Lirra.
saraleebooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
Really good book but wasn't as good as the last book in this series! I definitely missed this world of magic and love and sacrifice but this book wasn't exactly what I was expecting since the last book I read in the series swept me of my feet! I wish Erin Summerill could add a little more fun and adventure to not make this book gloomy...
I really loved EVER THE BRAVE (which was the first book in this series) so this book was quite a disappointed!
Over all I give this book a 2.9/5 stars!
I really loved EVER THE BRAVE (which was the first book in this series) so this book was quite a disappointed!
Over all I give this book a 2.9/5 stars!
librarianlayla's review against another edition
4.0
Fast paced action, a coup and mixed emotions.
A fantastic sequel to the first but one that has left me in turmoil, as I haven't the third book and feel that the King really deserves something good coming his way, and was a really undervalued character.
Fans of easy to read fantasy books that feature magic, action, self discovery and love, will enjoy this series very much.
A fantastic sequel to the first but one that has left me in turmoil, as I haven't the third book and feel that the King really deserves something good coming his way, and was a really undervalued character.
Fans of easy to read fantasy books that feature magic, action, self discovery and love, will enjoy this series very much.
evilqueenbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable plot. Great characters. Interesting romance. Overall, a great conclusion to this duology. Can't wait to see what the author does next!