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salmaa's review against another edition
3.0
super excited to read this book! the first one was so beautiful <3
gillianalice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-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
More of a 3.5 than a 4, only because it wasn’t quite as awesome as book 1. But I still really enjoyed it! I loved the monks, and seeing all of the orders coming together under a common cause.
I’m not sure how I felt about the ending. It was a neat idea, but I feel like the author sort of wrote herself into a corner, and that was the only way she could think to get out of it. I would have much preferred to see Kyra return to her order.
I’m not sure how I felt about the ending. It was a neat idea, but I feel like the author sort of wrote herself into a corner, and that was the only way she could think to get out of it. I would have much preferred to see Kyra return to her order.
pantsreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
Good conclusion to the duology, but I'm left with a lot of questions I'd love answers for.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Good conclusion to the duology, but I'm left with a lot of questions I'd love answers for.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
winterreader40's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get around to the conclusion for this series, but it was a pretty emotional end.
Kyra is the youngest markswoman to ever be named Mahimata(leader). Once she's recovered from the wounds from her duel she starts making changes to how they interact with the wyr-wolves and the other orders chapters based on how much she learned from the marksmen in the previous book, she believes they can be so much more than they are.
There isn't much I can say that wouldn't be a spoiler for this book, suffice to say everything builds to one final battle and the author isn't afraid to kill people off, which is always a plus in mind.
Kyra is the youngest markswoman to ever be named Mahimata(leader). Once she's recovered from the wounds from her duel she starts making changes to how they interact with the wyr-wolves and the other orders chapters based on how much she learned from the marksmen in the previous book, she believes they can be so much more than they are.
There isn't much I can say that wouldn't be a spoiler for this book, suffice to say everything builds to one final battle and the author isn't afraid to kill people off, which is always a plus in mind.
allicyn_a's review against another edition
I won this book in a giveaway here on Goodreads in return for my honest review.
Unfortunately I couldn’t even get 100 pages in before I decided to give this one up. I have been reading it for a week now and I’ve only made it to page 74. I just had no desire to pick this book up after I started it. I didn’t mind the first book, but I just can’t be bothered by this one, which is annoying since I think there are some pretty interesting concepts in this series. It’s just not for me.
Unfortunately I couldn’t even get 100 pages in before I decided to give this one up. I have been reading it for a week now and I’ve only made it to page 74. I just had no desire to pick this book up after I started it. I didn’t mind the first book, but I just can’t be bothered by this one, which is annoying since I think there are some pretty interesting concepts in this series. It’s just not for me.
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
This is a true sequel in that it picks up where the first book left off: Kyra defeated the Order of Kali's upstart Mahimata in a duel, but the evil Kai Tau who murdered her family is still on the loose and consolidating power.
The marksman who helped her win the duel, Rustan, is off on his own quest.
In some ways, the first part of the book is a restart for Kyra. She's back in the caves with the Elders of her order, trying to become the kind of Markswoman who can be Mahimata enough to take on Kai Tau. There's some interesting stuff with the wyr-wolves, but I wanted to delve much deeper into their story and the kind of relationship they could have with the markswomen. The really interesting stuff happens with Rustan and his quest. Here is where the book unravels some of the history behind the sentient knives and rifles that create political power and chaos in Asiana. When they finally come together again, the book becomes a chronicle of the strategy and battle of taking down Kai Tau. It was quite cool seeing all the Markswomen and Marksmen from the first book teaming up here for the battles.
There's a late hour save in the form of a friend from book one that felt a bit deux ex machina, and some of the emotional turmoil from what happened to Kyra when she trusted and was betrayed was smoothed over in a way that felt dissatisfying because it was lost in the battle bits. However, the battle was sufficiently difficult and the horror of Kai Tau in the end satisfyingly evil.
There's some rehashing of same themes as the first book in this one, so at times I did a little skimming, but the surprises Rustan uncovers, and the battle scenes where Kyra fully embraces herself were terrific. Loved the mask of Kali as she fights!
And then we get the ending...which while emotionally satisfying...gets a bit foggy for me. It felt like an ending for the series, so it makes me think this is a duology, which is fine, but I hope the author might expand some of the fascinating stuff she came up with in side projects or other novels. (Like the wyr-wolves or other places the hubs take you!)
The marksman who helped her win the duel, Rustan, is off on his own quest.
In some ways, the first part of the book is a restart for Kyra. She's back in the caves with the Elders of her order, trying to become the kind of Markswoman who can be Mahimata enough to take on Kai Tau. There's some interesting stuff with the wyr-wolves, but I wanted to delve much deeper into their story and the kind of relationship they could have with the markswomen. The really interesting stuff happens with Rustan and his quest. Here is where the book unravels some of the history behind the sentient knives and rifles that create political power and chaos in Asiana. When they finally come together again, the book becomes a chronicle of the strategy and battle of taking down Kai Tau. It was quite cool seeing all the Markswomen and Marksmen from the first book teaming up here for the battles.
There's a late hour save in the form of a friend from book one that felt a bit deux ex machina, and some of the emotional turmoil from what happened to Kyra when she trusted and was betrayed was smoothed over in a way that felt dissatisfying because it was lost in the battle bits. However, the battle was sufficiently difficult and the horror of Kai Tau in the end satisfyingly evil.
There's some rehashing of same themes as the first book in this one, so at times I did a little skimming, but the surprises Rustan uncovers, and the battle scenes where Kyra fully embraces herself were terrific. Loved the mask of Kali as she fights!
And then we get the ending...which while emotionally satisfying...gets a bit foggy for me. It felt like an ending for the series, so it makes me think this is a duology, which is fine, but I hope the author might expand some of the fascinating stuff she came up with in side projects or other novels. (Like the wyr-wolves or other places the hubs take you!)
kbaj's review against another edition
4.0
I received this books as an ARC from Harper Voyager.
Even without reading the first of this series, I did enjoy it. I wasn't terribly attached to the characters or the plot, but I was interested in them. The worldbuilding was very creative, and I appreciated the female characters that weren't always cliche (definitely some though). What I didn't really like was the generic feel I got from the plot despite the setting being so interesting. I felt like I had already read the book, and it was only the worldbuilding that kept me reading. The protagonist Kyra spent an excessive amount of time pining over her love interest, and I would have preferred something that moved the plot along quickly. I like romance, but you can show that a couple is in love without them constantly thinking about it.
I was also disappointed by the lack of plot twists and unexpected events. At times, I thought I could feel a plot twist coming, because everything seemed too easy. But they never came, so it really was just that easy. Probably the most exciting part was *spoilers?* Kyra's betrayal of her love interest, because there was actual tension and conflict that wasn't completely cookie-cutter. But even this felt a little too easily resolved.
Overall, an entertaining read, but not one that I found myself extremely invested in.
Even without reading the first of this series, I did enjoy it. I wasn't terribly attached to the characters or the plot, but I was interested in them. The worldbuilding was very creative, and I appreciated the female characters that weren't always cliche (definitely some though). What I didn't really like was the generic feel I got from the plot despite the setting being so interesting. I felt like I had already read the book, and it was only the worldbuilding that kept me reading. The protagonist Kyra spent an excessive amount of time pining over her love interest, and I would have preferred something that moved the plot along quickly. I like romance, but you can show that a couple is in love without them constantly thinking about it.
I was also disappointed by the lack of plot twists and unexpected events. At times, I thought I could feel a plot twist coming, because everything seemed too easy. But they never came, so it really was just that easy. Probably the most exciting part was *spoilers?* Kyra's betrayal of her love interest, because there was actual tension and conflict that wasn't completely cookie-cutter. But even this felt a little too easily resolved.
Overall, an entertaining read, but not one that I found myself extremely invested in.
theladyduckofdoom's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0