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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Toxic relationship
emotional
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Diem continues to be one of the most annoying FMCs in existence. I had to take breaks reading this book because everything about her is so incredibly toxic that it wore my nerves down. Her father calls her selfish at one point and BOY was he right. She lives in a world of delusion, narcissism, fear, and is strangely both arrogant and weak-willed at the same time. I would honestly be fine if she was killed off and the pov switched to Luther. He and Lily, Teller, Alixe, Taran, and Eleanor are the only good parts of this series. The love Luther has for Diem is bar none some of the most epic, swoonworthy romance I've ever read, but Diem does not deserve him one bit and she does nothing but string him along. She waffles on him so incredibly much that I'm not holding my breath at them finally getting together at the end of this book. Diem will find some way to irrevocably hurt him and shatter his heart again; its what she does best after all. I desperately want a new FMC to come into this series who does deserve him. He can be a bit of a simp at times, but it doesn't make me dislike him, I just wish he stood up for himself more.
This book is like book one in the sense that it feels like a lot of world building with not much action that comes to pass. We're given a lot in terms of the politics of the Descended world, where all of the alliances and feuds lie between the houses, and how Diem might fit into that heirarchy. We're still biding our time building Diem up to become the Queen she needs to be, giving her time to figure her s*** out and manifesting her magic. We see her CLING to Henry with the force of a dying star collapsing in on itself although he could really give two craps about her. Diem finds her Descended family and doesn't deserve them and how good to her they are.
Overall, I really wish the storyline had moved more, but it was still not a bad read. The story continued to be interesting, the plot detailed in a way that keeps you sucked in, waiting to see what comes next.
I'm interested to see where this series goes in books 3-4, but I can tell you if we don't see more growth from Diem, I might be out.
This book is like book one in the sense that it feels like a lot of world building with not much action that comes to pass. We're given a lot in terms of the politics of the Descended world, where all of the alliances and feuds lie between the houses, and how Diem might fit into that heirarchy. We're still biding our time building Diem up to become the Queen she needs to be, giving her time to figure her s*** out and manifesting her magic. We see her CLING to Henry with the force of a dying star collapsing in on itself although he could really give two craps about her. Diem finds her Descended family and doesn't deserve them and how good to her they are.
Overall, I really wish the storyline had moved more, but it was still not a bad read. The story continued to be interesting, the plot detailed in a way that keeps you sucked in, waiting to see what comes next.
I'm interested to see where this series goes in books 3-4, but I can tell you if we don't see more growth from Diem, I might be out.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like the book was a bit slow, or more internal conflicts and emotions for the main character. Not for the actual story, only the last 100 pages was more action.
Well… I have some things to say.
In my last review I called Diem “as sharp as a butter knife,” and honestly? She hasn’t gotten any sharper. If anything, her catty, petty nastiness has levelled up. What should feel like a flaw is starting to feel like a full-time personality trait, and not in a good way. More than once I caught myself rolling my eyes and muttering “just grow up already.”
But here’s the thing..... I listened to this on audiobook, and it had me hooked. More than once I found myself sitting in the car, refusing to get out because I was laughing at the jokes and one-liners from the side characters. The cast is big, but they’re introduced gradually enough that I never had that “who is this again?” moment or needed to flick back. And the gryvern? Obsessed. I want one as a pet, no question.
The story itself is addictive, full of twists, drama, and just the right amount of chaos. By the end I was thanking the Everflame that I’d had the foresight to grab Book 3 in the Big W half-price sale this week, because there is no way I’m stopping now.
So yes, Diem drives me up the wall, but the world, the humor, and the sheer entertainment factor? Totally worth it. Five stars, because when a series has me laughing, cursing, and already lining up the next book, it’s doing something right.
In my last review I called Diem “as sharp as a butter knife,” and honestly? She hasn’t gotten any sharper. If anything, her catty, petty nastiness has levelled up. What should feel like a flaw is starting to feel like a full-time personality trait, and not in a good way. More than once I caught myself rolling my eyes and muttering “just grow up already.”
But here’s the thing..... I listened to this on audiobook, and it had me hooked. More than once I found myself sitting in the car, refusing to get out because I was laughing at the jokes and one-liners from the side characters. The cast is big, but they’re introduced gradually enough that I never had that “who is this again?” moment or needed to flick back. And the gryvern? Obsessed. I want one as a pet, no question.
The story itself is addictive, full of twists, drama, and just the right amount of chaos. By the end I was thanking the Everflame that I’d had the foresight to grab Book 3 in the Big W half-price sale this week, because there is no way I’m stopping now.
So yes, Diem drives me up the wall, but the world, the humor, and the sheer entertainment factor? Totally worth it. Five stars, because when a series has me laughing, cursing, and already lining up the next book, it’s doing something right.
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very few questions from the first book were answered and now there are even more from the second book. I like the story a lot, but this is annoying as hell lol. I've noticed that Diem seems to get A LOT of hate from readers and while I've had my moments of calling her a dumbass and being annoyed with her, I haven't seen why she deserves the hate she gets yet. Luther, of course, is absolute perfection and I do understand why so many people say she doesn't deserve him. Diem has the biggest case of denial I've ever freaking seen and it borders pathetic. The slow burn in this series in painstakingly slow. The tension and angst was like non-existent. It was pretty much just Luther always staring at her and pining for her while she constantly pushed him away because she's "engaged." I about went mad over her and all the Henri bullshit We are two full books in, the first over 400 pages and the second over 600 there is no damn reason the insignificant first love interest should still be apart of the story. Ugh. Moving on. Taran quickly became a favorite, and I mean from the moment he was introduced to the story I knew I was going to love him. I was a little iffy about Eleanor at first, but I don't trust women lol but she has proven to be invaluable. I love the found family aspect, especially since it was unexpected (from her perspective). Overall, I am enjoying the story so I'm going to continue reading.
"Burn, my Queen. Glow so bright, the darkness trembles."
"Burn, my Queen. Glow so bright, the darkness trembles."
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes