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jacquelynjoan's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Great follow-up/ending. Love these. I would love to read more books set in this universe.
line's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
moonprismbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
This was ok. I still enjoyed the world overall and the setting. I just wasn’t as invested into the story as I was with The Brilliant Death. It felt really slow at times and I just could not get my mind focused. I started off reading along while listening via audiobook, but by the end it was only audiobook. It helped me focus a bit more.
savanah's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
madimomreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
4.5
bluebirdiebop's review
adventurous
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
3.5
sarahelisewrites's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
snchard's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal sequel. Did I mention that the audiobook narration is absolute perfection? Because it is. Highly recommend.
ejpass's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: fantasy, court intrigue, magic, genderfluid characters, pansexual characters, LGBTQ rep, fantasy, fantasy Italy
Teo and Cielo are back with even more action, and trouble, than before. After the ending of the last book, this one opens with the two of them traveling to warn other streghe of the Capo's plans to kill them to acquire power. There's definitely some romantic and magic shenanigans on the way, but true to form they rather quickly end up in an even larger mess than the one they left in the last book.
Teo's grown as a character since The Brilliant Death and grows even more over the course of this one. At the opening, she's struggling with her magic again due to the morbid manner in which it grew. Her confidence in her magic increases during her character arc as she learns some other rather important things about herself and life in general. Teo does a lot of scheming in this book, seemingly already having another scheme ready as soon as the first one fails...though things don't really work out in her favor for most of the book, so there's that. I think some of the best moments in the book were when Teo was desperate to figure something out and had to rely on wits, magic, intelligence, and the people around her. I think it really showed her growth as a character throughout these past two books and emphasizes the changes she undergoes in this one.
Cielo grew less, I think, but he definitely also underwent some growth. During most of this book and the last one, he has this seemingly idealized view on family life, having grown up mostly without blood family, and so he gets a bit of a wake-up call having to deal, directly or indirectly, with Beniamo in this one. We get to see him call in some more of that 27-part favor he mentioned in The Brilliant Death, and thus we also get to see some of his deeper motivations behind things. I don't remember every reveal that happened in the last book, but I feel like we get to delve a lot deeper into who Cielo is as a person and what he thinks about and cares about (other than Teo) than we did in the last one.
Cielo and Teo are far more romantic in this book than in the last one. They get a lot of time alone with one another, or with people who already know about their relationship, and so there are a bunch of cute scenes with the two of them. There were also some rather steamy scenes involving the two of them (nothing explicit) and we get to see them shedding more of their defenses, both in regards to one another and with the rest of the world. There's also a mix of steamy-funny scenes in the book, such as one that involves them ending up naked and making out in the garden of a church. Regardless of what they're doing, I feel their relationship is more evolved and developed in this one than the last one. They're more solid as a couple, more hands-on than before, more clear of each other's emotions and intentions, so that was nice to see.
Conversely, hardest parts of the book to read were when the two of them were arguing. They work so well together as streghe, characters, friends, and lovers, that it was so hard to watch them fight and be apart for part of the book. I mean, they don't really stay apart that long, but it was still difficult to read. However hard it was, it was also necessary for both of them to grow as characters. Both were so stuck in the way they thought and acted and what they wanted that they couldn't truly see the merits of what the other was suggesting when it seemed to go counter to what they wanted. The time apart helped both of them round out more as characters, I think, and contributed to their character arcs.
For side characters, we get to see Mimi and Lorenzo again, Mirella, Vanni, Favianne, and Nicolo...and Beniamo, but I feel that's kind of a given. We also meet some new characters, such as baby Luciano, Xiaodan, and Dantae. Mimi we already met, so it was awesome to see her again and read as she and Teo rekindled the friendship they'd begun in The Brilliant Death. I also enjoyed seeing the kind of magic she could work, since elemental magic is so different from anything we've seen Teo or Cielo do so far. Vanni we also know, vaguely, from the previous book, and we get to know him better in this one. He's super devoted to Mirella and Luciano, though he's also a bit of a goofball. Like Mimi, he works a different kind of magic, but instead of with the elements, he can shape/bend light to his will. Xiaodan is a new character we don't meet until we're a couple chapters into the book. She's more soft spoken than Mimi or Vanni, but she has nerves of steel and definitely has her humorous moments as well. Her magic is the ability to feel and dampen or amplify someone's emotions. Dantae is a fun, slightly murderous and slightly older character who's actually rather similar to Teo once we're past the...violent introductions.
In the di Sangro family: Nicolo gets the same kind of role he did before, though he actually pays more attention to the sociopathic son he raised as well as to the magic in his own blood. Mirella features a bit more in this one, though she remains pretty frosty to Teo throughout the book. Luciano is her young son, whom we get to meet around chapter 3 or 4 and who doesn't seem to like very many people holding him. He seems to like Mirella, Vanni, and Cielo and that's about it. Beniamo comes back again, this time in a far more sinister role. He's no longer an owl, but he's still a di Sangro and he's still out for blood, which spells major trouble for everyone in the book, not just our main heroes.
In terms of plot, this one wraps up the threads Capetta began in The Brilliant Death and neatly ties off threads that began in this book. The flow made sense from one book to the next and nothing seemed out of place for the world. We get to see a bit more of Vinalia in this one, so the setting was also developed more and played a key role in the plot a couple of times. For both plot and setting purposes, Capetta also gave us more background information about the world. We get some mythology, some facts about streghe magic, about family and country history, etc. I think she also set up the twist rather well so that it felt like one part of the story closed as the twist opened up the next section.
Recommended for people who like: fantasy, court intrigue, magic, genderfluid characters, pansexual characters, LGBTQ rep, fantasy, fantasy Italy
Teo and Cielo are back with even more action, and trouble, than before. After the ending of the last book, this one opens with the two of them traveling to warn other streghe of the Capo's plans to kill them to acquire power. There's definitely some romantic and magic shenanigans on the way, but true to form they rather quickly end up in an even larger mess than the one they left in the last book.
Teo's grown as a character since The Brilliant Death and grows even more over the course of this one. At the opening, she's struggling with her magic again due to the morbid manner in which it grew. Her confidence in her magic increases during her character arc as she learns some other rather important things about herself and life in general. Teo does a lot of scheming in this book, seemingly already having another scheme ready as soon as the first one fails...though things don't really work out in her favor for most of the book, so there's that. I think some of the best moments in the book were when Teo was desperate to figure something out and had to rely on wits, magic, intelligence, and the people around her. I think it really showed her growth as a character throughout these past two books and emphasizes the changes she undergoes in this one.
Cielo grew less, I think, but he definitely also underwent some growth. During most of this book and the last one, he has this seemingly idealized view on family life, having grown up mostly without blood family, and so he gets a bit of a wake-up call having to deal, directly or indirectly, with Beniamo in this one. We get to see him call in some more of that 27-part favor he mentioned in The Brilliant Death, and thus we also get to see some of his deeper motivations behind things. I don't remember every reveal that happened in the last book, but I feel like we get to delve a lot deeper into who Cielo is as a person and what he thinks about and cares about (other than Teo) than we did in the last one.
Cielo and Teo are far more romantic in this book than in the last one. They get a lot of time alone with one another, or with people who already know about their relationship, and so there are a bunch of cute scenes with the two of them. There were also some rather steamy scenes involving the two of them (nothing explicit) and we get to see them shedding more of their defenses, both in regards to one another and with the rest of the world. There's also a mix of steamy-funny scenes in the book, such as one that involves them ending up naked and making out in the garden of a church. Regardless of what they're doing, I feel their relationship is more evolved and developed in this one than the last one. They're more solid as a couple, more hands-on than before, more clear of each other's emotions and intentions, so that was nice to see.
Conversely, hardest parts of the book to read were when the two of them were arguing. They work so well together as streghe, characters, friends, and lovers, that it was so hard to watch them fight and be apart for part of the book. I mean, they don't really stay apart that long, but it was still difficult to read. However hard it was, it was also necessary for both of them to grow as characters. Both were so stuck in the way they thought and acted and what they wanted that they couldn't truly see the merits of what the other was suggesting when it seemed to go counter to what they wanted. The time apart helped both of them round out more as characters, I think, and contributed to their character arcs.
For side characters, we get to see Mimi and Lorenzo again, Mirella, Vanni, Favianne, and Nicolo...and Beniamo, but I feel that's kind of a given. We also meet some new characters, such as baby Luciano, Xiaodan, and Dantae. Mimi we already met, so it was awesome to see her again and read as she and Teo rekindled the friendship they'd begun in The Brilliant Death. I also enjoyed seeing the kind of magic she could work, since elemental magic is so different from anything we've seen Teo or Cielo do so far. Vanni we also know, vaguely, from the previous book, and we get to know him better in this one. He's super devoted to Mirella and Luciano, though he's also a bit of a goofball. Like Mimi, he works a different kind of magic, but instead of with the elements, he can shape/bend light to his will. Xiaodan is a new character we don't meet until we're a couple chapters into the book. She's more soft spoken than Mimi or Vanni, but she has nerves of steel and definitely has her humorous moments as well. Her magic is the ability to feel and dampen or amplify someone's emotions. Dantae is a fun, slightly murderous and slightly older character who's actually rather similar to Teo once we're past the...violent introductions.
In the di Sangro family: Nicolo gets the same kind of role he did before, though he actually pays more attention to the sociopathic son he raised as well as to the magic in his own blood. Mirella features a bit more in this one, though she remains pretty frosty to Teo throughout the book. Luciano is her young son, whom we get to meet around chapter 3 or 4 and who doesn't seem to like very many people holding him. He seems to like Mirella, Vanni, and Cielo and that's about it. Beniamo comes back again, this time in a far more sinister role. He's no longer an owl, but he's still a di Sangro and he's still out for blood, which spells major trouble for everyone in the book, not just our main heroes.
In terms of plot, this one wraps up the threads Capetta began in The Brilliant Death and neatly ties off threads that began in this book. The flow made sense from one book to the next and nothing seemed out of place for the world. We get to see a bit more of Vinalia in this one, so the setting was also developed more and played a key role in the plot a couple of times. For both plot and setting purposes, Capetta also gave us more background information about the world. We get some mythology, some facts about streghe magic, about family and country history, etc. I think she also set up the twist rather well so that it felt like one part of the story closed as the twist opened up the next section.
smashley_rr's review
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? It's complicated
3.25
I was not as much of a fan of this one as the first one. The writing is still beautiful, but this felt like an unnecessary addition to the first one, which could have been a standalone and been great on its own. It was nice to get more of their story, but it also felt unnecessary. Hoping Capetta will write other stories in the future, because the writing itself really is lovely!