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themdash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Animal death, Ableism, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
kaydee_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.25
The first book in this series was one of my favourite books of the year when it came out, so this sequel was much anticipated. And for the most part, I liked it! But it didn’t reach the same heights as the first book, and I actually took a long break from it after getting through the first third because Vel and Cae were being so needlessly dense.
I’m not a big fan of “this could all be solved with one simple conversation” miscommunication tropes, and Vel’s inability to talk to his husband for much of this book was immensely frustrating… it felt like a lot of his character growth from book 1 was erased so they could go through a similar journey again for book 2.
Having said that, the second 2/3s of the book were delightful once the mystery really gets going, and we learn who the other players on the board are. Asrien was an unexpected highlight, and I love how included Markel was throughout as a full member of the family. Cae and Vel’s romance is still very sweet, and I overall still very much enjoy the world-building and diversity of the characters!
So - first third for me is maybe a 3. But the rest of the book is a 5. Get through the journey to the capital and know it gets better from there!
I’m not a big fan of “this could all be solved with one simple conversation” miscommunication tropes, and Vel’s inability to talk to his husband for much of this book was immensely frustrating… it felt like a lot of his character growth from book 1 was erased so they could go through a similar journey again for book 2.
Having said that, the second 2/3s of the book were delightful once the mystery really gets going, and we learn who the other players on the board are. Asrien was an unexpected highlight, and I love how included Markel was throughout as a full member of the family. Cae and Vel’s romance is still very sweet, and I overall still very much enjoy the world-building and diversity of the characters!
So - first third for me is maybe a 3. But the rest of the book is a 5. Get through the journey to the capital and know it gets better from there!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Classism, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Death
molls's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
TL;DR I almost DNF'd this a few times because the miscommunication was dragging on, but I stayed for the political goings-on and the hope that the conclusion would be satisfying, and it was for the most part.
I devoured the first book but had a hard time with this one. Miscommunication and infidelity are, in my observation, two of the most hated tropes by romance readers (including myself) and the setup here seemed like it would rely on both. The latter gets cleared up around halfway through, but not before our third POV character basically sexually assaults someone. There's a lot of seemingly complicated political intrigue to be had here but all of the names are confusing and unfortunately most of the action, even moreso than the last book, is attempted murders and unwanted advances. There isn't really any further exploration of the magic, which is a bummer. We don't get to see either main character be very competent for most of the book, and there is so, so, SO much internal anxiety that could be solved with a conversation. Is that realistic, sure. Is it fun to read, no, and I say that as someone who has put in plenty of hours with the angst tag on ao3. By 70% of the way through it felt like they had barely talked or touched and the relationship hadn't developed from the first book, and had in fact become less believable.
The book is long but doesn't reacquaint the reader much; I've forgotten what they look like and don't have much to go on for the first 100 pages at least. There's a whole new POV character and he can't remind me what color Velasian's hair is? Descriptions of food, clothing, and surroundings are indulgent, but the in-universe words for the clothing had me scrambling mentally a little every time I tried to picture someone. The first sex scene in the book, after ~200 pages of anemic longing between the main couple, happens between the new POV character and an antagonist, and given everything else going on it was more unsettling than exciting and I'm not really sure how the author wanted the reader to feel about it. Is this supposed to be hot or is it another consent issue given that sexual assault is a recurring theme in this series? Apparently it's the former, which seemed like an odd choice. Can we maybe just have the main characters finally make out again, how about that. I'd settle for some hair braiding and a hug!
Also, for the love of god, why are the Ralian POVs in first person but Cae's is in third person??? What is the reason??? Just seems like a weird choice that threw me a little every time POV switched.
I devoured the first book but had a hard time with this one. Miscommunication and infidelity are, in my observation, two of the most hated tropes by romance readers (including myself) and the setup here seemed like it would rely on both. The latter gets cleared up around halfway through, but not before our third POV character basically sexually assaults someone. There's a lot of seemingly complicated political intrigue to be had here but all of the names are confusing and unfortunately most of the action, even moreso than the last book, is attempted murders and unwanted advances. There isn't really any further exploration of the magic, which is a bummer. We don't get to see either main character be very competent for most of the book, and there is so, so, SO much internal anxiety that could be solved with a conversation. Is that realistic, sure. Is it fun to read, no, and I say that as someone who has put in plenty of hours with the angst tag on ao3. By 70% of the way through it felt like they had barely talked or touched and the relationship hadn't developed from the first book, and had in fact become less believable.
The book is long but doesn't reacquaint the reader much; I've forgotten what they look like and don't have much to go on for the first 100 pages at least. There's a whole new POV character and he can't remind me what color Velasian's hair is? Descriptions of food, clothing, and surroundings are indulgent, but the in-universe words for the clothing had me scrambling mentally a little every time I tried to picture someone. The first sex scene in the book, after ~200 pages of anemic longing between the main couple, happens between
Also, for the love of god, why are the Ralian POVs in first person but Cae's is in third person??? What is the reason??? Just seems like a weird choice that threw me a little every time POV switched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Vomit, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Animal death
sunshinemoth's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Murder, and Drug use
Moderate: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Body horror, Medical content, Suicide, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Animal death
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