Reviews

This follows directly after the events of the first book with Zera finding herself given another different task to win back her heart while other stuff goes on in the background.

I...hmm, I didn't love the audio but I also found the story to have lost a lot of the appeal it had in the first book. It wasn't a quick, fun, fast read and felt more like a slog and like any other YA fantasy series I've already read. The romance didn't do anything for me, Zera kind of felt a bit too adrift for my comforts and it felt like a whole lot of nothing happened honestly till the end, even though stuff *did* happen I just didn't care. Also, I got a little fed up with the Hunger and just didn't care by the end. At least there were lesbians but I don't know how happy they're going to be.

I just bounced off this one hard and am probably not going to read the finale unless I need one for a challenge and can't find anything else. I'd recommend this series to people who like YA fantasy with some darker elements, witchy shenanigans, and a quirky MC that has some reasoning for being quirky but this just didn't do it for me. 2.5/5

pantsreads's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5

I continue to love this series for the way it subverts the standard YA fantasy genre—and Zera's the snarkiest, which is a delight. I did get a little frustrated with her at times, but she is only 16, so I guess I have to be at least a little understanding.

Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.

sydney_09's review against another edition

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4.0

I wasn't sure I would like this series but I most certainly do. Some parts were a little predictable but I had to know more which kept me reading. There were some good twists and surprise so I am curious to see how it ends. I hope the 3rd book is out soon!!

redhead_haze's review against another edition

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4.0

“I can assure you, as someone who spent his life chasing power,” Gavik says, “when absolute power presents itself, there are no ‘justs’ anymore. It is all or nothing.”

Genre: high fantasy, romance
Tropes: slow burn romance, angst, redemption
Series: Bring Me Their Hearts #2
Cliffhanger: Yes
Rating: 4.5 ⭐

》》The Plot 《《

This book was angst. And I didn't like the beginning very much, but it won me over along the way.
In the aftermath of the events from the clearing, Zera is left under the control of Princess Varia, not really a prisoner, but still a traitor. Without her friends, the only hope she has is dangled by Varia in front of her eyes: teach a valkerax how to Weep, find the Bone Tree for her and she will no longer be a Heartless. And this isn't even the hardest thing she has to do: winning forgiveness seems a more difficult task.

"I’m one step closer to my heart. The valkerax can kill me all it likes—but I won’t give up.
Dying hurts much less than lying."

》》Characters and Relationships《《

leavinglikea's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars

i really enjoyed the book for the most part. it picked up right where the first book left off, which really helped me get into the book quicker. the author did a good job recapping/repeating necessary information from the first book, so even though a few months had passed since i read the first book and i didn’t remember much from it, i didn’t get confused.

i loved zera and lucien’s romance and all their angst. i loved the direction of lucien’s arc, especially towards the end. i adored the friendship between zera, lucien, malachite, and fione. i also really liked the bond zera developed with a few of the side characters.

the plot of this book was predictable, but intriguing. i enjoyed picking up the little clues and crumbs and coming up with theories. the villain of the book was an interesting one. i couldn’t stand them, but i understood their motivations.

i did have some issues with the book. first of all, the book could’ve been significantly shorter. there were several scenes that i felt were either repetitive or just simply dragged on. my biggest problem, however, was with zera. for the first 80% of the book, i absolutely loved her. she was hilarious and smart and quick-witted, and she cared so much for the people around her, even though she thought otherwise. however, her actions and decisions towards the end of the book were so… dumb. at one point i was just screaming at her because of how nonsensical she was being.

i’m somewhat dreading the next book because of zera, but i’m very invested in the story. overall, this was an enjoyable but occasionally frustrating book.

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