Reviews

this was a travel book for me and I was really excited to continue the series.

I did enjoy it. It’s me feeling bad for Aaron that shocked me. However, it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was great though. The storyline is very real to what a high school student feels. Bf moving away, friends not planning on staying, and finding your own in the world is hard.

Definitely recommend

hellobluebelle's review against another edition

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4.0

The second book in this series was even better than the first. The pacing was great, the plot well thought out. This book had me DYING to flip ahead and find out what happens, which is a sign of a great nail-biting book to me. I love how magic is portrayed in this setting: it’s a perfect blend of fantasy elements in a modern setting. The friendships and characters feel real, and palpable. The fact that LGBTQ+ subject matter and topics influenced by feminism take such a large part of the story, in such a well done way, is so refreshing. I enjoyed seeing Lily and Maeve build their friendship again, in a realistic way. I enjoyed Maeve and Roe ‘s imperfect relationship- and imperfect is something this book also is so great at.

I’m not sure how I feel about the sudden Aaron redemption arc, and Roe remembering everything that happened again felt a bit rushed and cheesy. Manon was a fun addition to the cast, and Nuala’s involvement with a bunch of kids has always seemed a bit weird to me, so it was nice to have Nuala to bridge that gap a bit. But these are just little issues. Again, I really wished this series existed when I was a teenager- It would’ve been revolutionary to me, but I’m glad it’s here now, and I’m eager for the last installment

huebostrom's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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? No

4.25

runes_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.75

The cover art and art within the book was gorgeous just like the first one. This takes place directly after All Our Hidden Gifts, with a lot of similar themes. There are some differences in the content warnings, so I would look at them.
There are a few storytelling differences between this and the first book. I feel like this one didn't focus on character flaws as much, but it still was a pretty big focus. We got some more lore/knowledge about the magic in this one, which I really liked. I felt that the protagonist, Maeve, had less character development than in the first. This wasn't a bad thing, she still had a lot.
I'm very excited to read the third book in this trilogy!

Most of the characters are in the equivalent of United States senior year of high school in the story. There's a recurrent worry for them about change and the future, something any teenager can relate to. Please look at the content warnings for this story, it's a YA, but a heavy one. I'd recommend it for ages 15+, so upper YA, verging on New Adult but not quite there.

I read this one in one day, I couldn't put it down! (Also it was a library book so I had a time limit, lol). I haven't decided on a star rating, definitely 4 stars at minimum. I think it's a 4.75 for me, there's nothing wrong with it, and I would highly recommend it. It just wasn't life changing for me personally. It was a great read, and I'll definitely remember it.

Content Warnings

kaycie51782's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-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

cords's review against another edition

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4.0

Found the writing was much better than the previous book; got a bit confused towards the end tho

sacredgriefsociety's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

My inner teen is obsessed with this series!! Our foursome comes together once again to defeat an evil lurking in Kilbeg but not all dark forces look obvious.

As the girls enter their final year of school and begin to face the exams that will help determine their future, their friendship is pushed to the breaking point. It doesn’t help that the enemy has infiltrated the school, a former (maybe?) enemy is looking to switch sides, and Roe is beginning to forget the magic they hold & the the ties that bind the foursome together.

This magical, queer, angsty romp through the city of Kilbeg will
keep you on your toes & wondering who can you trust when everything
(and everyone) is changing?

I seriously am so in love with these books & wish they had excited when I was a teenager. But even now, they are allowing pieces of me to be seen with the love and compassion I didn’t have then. Plus who doesn’t love a good book about tarot and witchcraft?

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