Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Can true love persist or is it over for the dark fairy and her princess? Picking up where the first book left off Alyce has destroyed Briar and has spent a majority of her time trying to find an elixir to cure Aurora from her curse.. anything but letting someone else kiss her to wake her up. Then she is greeted by Regan, another Vila, and soon they create the Dark Court, a court for all the dark creatures that have been mistreated and abused... and suddenly a handsome stranger washes ashore and its been 100 years since Alyce destroyed Briar.. and he kisses Aurora... and she wakes up. Except, the wounds between Aurora and Alyce are extreme, it’s like the love between them doesn’t exist anymore. There is pain, angst, betrayal, and lies. With a war on the forefront Alyce will have to decide who she can trust and if she and Aurora will make it? Let me first begin by saying this was one of my most anticipated books but this book sadly suffers from second book syndrome, it’s as if the entire relationship between Alyce and Aurora went out the window. The pain they caused one another? The constant miscommunication? The way the book ends? It just felt completely off to me. I loved the first book and this one missed the mark for me. Nothing really happens until 50% into the book and the Alyce in this one seems more juvenile and flawed than the Alyce in the first book, and you would think with 100 years of ruling and working on building her court it would have matured her out a bit. I found myself not even caring or rooting for Alyce and Aurora by the end of the book, in fact I didn’t really like either character in this book which is saying a lot since I loved them in the first book. The real shining stars for me were Neve, Torin, Regan, and even the imps. This whole thing kind of felt like a long drawn angst fest with drama and an anti-climatic wrap up. I guess I was just expecting something more for a second book considering how fantastic the first book was. I felt bad for Alyce cuz she was pining for 100 years and I honestly found myself rooting for Alyce to end up with her other potential love interest. Overall I’m happy I was able to find out what happens to these characters and read this book, I was happy to get to see the end of the duology and would highly recommend this series to any fans of Sleeping Beauty retellings,
*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
not as good as the first one
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I hear “dragon’s teeth” or “pet” one more time I’m going to blow a fuse. This is the type of book where at some point everything gets revealed explicitly by one of the characters. It doesn’t really leave room for the reader to infer things on their own. Due to using miscommunication as an easy plot device, the relationships were exasperating. I kept reading solely because it was an lgbtq+ novel. If it hadn’t been I probably would have stopped around 25%.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25/5⭐️ Why would you end like that with no clear answer Heather?!?!!! My lovers are but aren’t lovers?! please be nice to me I can’t take it. I completely get having Alyce/Nimara go through big changes and not be the person Aurora beloved her to be. And I would understand Aurora not being able to get past it, but don’t leave me on the edge of not knowing