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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
More than anything I am devastated that it’s over. Everything about this series captivated me. I was enthralled and in love with the characters, the plot, the romances, but mostly the relationship between Elspeth and the Nightmare.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this duology! I don’t typically read a book or watch movies more than once, but I see myself reading these again in the future. I would love to see these become a film adaptation given the unique magic system and setting.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this - more than the first book .
The character growth, multiple POVs, the culmination of the plot and the imagery were all excellent
The character growth, multiple POVs, the culmination of the plot and the imagery were all excellent
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i hate to say it but. the first was better MDKSKFKKFKG
i mean this wasn’t a complete flop, i think the first book was just so fire that basically anything this book did was gonna fall flat to me, esp with elspeth not really being a character. for me i think that’s what held this book back from being great. she’s the heart of the story and without her it’s just…. Meh. like i really wasn’t invested in ravyn, and jaspyr clearly isn’t cared about by gillig, so for that plot line i was just saw there wanting my girl elspeth back. with that plot as well i did like the fleshing out of the shepherd king, as well as the depth added to nightmare, but it didn’t make up for the lack of much substance in that plot line. everything felt like it worked out perfectly how the reader would’ve wanted it to work, with no real long-term consequences for this cast of characters. and i mean it kinda applies to the ione storyline as well, but not as much. speaking of ione… i loved her storyline with elm. it was interesting, it felt like there were stakes, we had a goal that i wasn’t sure would be achieved (unlike the other plot line 🙄), and i was actually excited to see it play out. i felt like their chemistry was also quite natural, whereas everything in the twin alder story line felt forced, contrived, and something almost out of fanfiction where everything goes right how the main characters wanted it to go. the ione and elm relationship was easily the best part of the book, whereas elspeth and ravyn were the most disappointing. like seriously we got like a blink with them together. are you Serious. yet another thing that lasted for like 10% was anything interesting. it felt like this story was dragging out the journey, and then bam everything was rushed in the last part of the story. the pacing felt so clunky and i wasn’t living for it.
the plot reveals given in this book were also very Weird. like there was a reveal with ravyn where the book wanted to act like it was this huuuuge thing but…. i thought it was something already known to be a fact like 20% into book one 😭😭 and meanwhile everyone here was like “WOAHHHH”. idk a lot of moments felt like that — that i was supposed to be a lot more hyped about them than i was in reality.
the ending itself was… too good. i mean i don’t hate a happy ending! i just… this one didn’t feel earned in most regards. it felt like the characters didn’t ‘win’ because they had a plan, but they won because they essentially had god and luck on their side. it’s like pairing up ash ketchum with random snotty kid and expecting the kid to stand a chance. like really. idk make my characters lose an arm or have the city tumble into ruin or something! but no there’s really no stakes… even the one negative for elspeth isn’t really explained because… the book leads me to believe it is an issue but simultaneously isn’t? idk that was very confusing as well.
as much as i sound like i hated this though, i had a decent time! i was invested in elspeth from book one, and although shes barely here, i was bingeing this just for a chance to see her again (and for ione’s plot which was scrumptious). honestly if the book was just the twin alder storyline this would get 2-stars, but if it was just ione’s story it would get 4-stars so. it’s averaged out for me. it defo missed in literally every area of the writing compared to the first, but it still wasn’t a bad book! it’s just that the first was So Good. how do you follow that up. and the answer is apparently ‘give the reader everything they want with no strings’. shrug…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was such a pleasant surprise and one of those rare occasions where the second book is better than the first!
Elm and Ione's storyline was incredibly engaging and kept you on the edge of your seat. We saw character growth from both and their romance felt real and believable, which was a bit of an issue I had with the previous book.
Elspeth on her own, even in the small chapters she had, felt more fleshed-out when she was not necessarily pining all the time after Ravyn.
The Nightmare was, as per my review of the first book, the best character and there was more maturity in him this time round - him being more of a father figure of Elspeth. There was a lot more of his backstory as well, and finally answers were provided as to what happened 500 years ago when he first died.
Overall, I did not at all expect to like the series so much and will definitely be keeping an eye on the author's next release!
Elm and Ione's storyline was incredibly engaging and kept you on the edge of your seat. We saw character growth from both and their romance felt real and believable, which was a bit of an issue I had with the previous book.
Elspeth on her own, even in the small chapters she had, felt more fleshed-out when she was not necessarily pining all the time after Ravyn.
The Nightmare was, as per my review of the first book, the best character and there was more maturity in him this time round - him being more of a father figure of Elspeth. There was a lot more of his backstory as well, and finally answers were provided as to what happened 500 years ago when he first died.
Overall, I did not at all expect to like the series so much and will definitely be keeping an eye on the author's next release!