4.06 AVERAGE

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
adventurous mysterious slow-paced

I REALLY hate the FMC. She is the most passive whiner I have ever come across. It honestly makes me dislike the MMC for being so obsessed/dependent on her. Like brother there is more important shit going on than being in proximity to you quivering baby of a girlfriend. The entire book the MMC is just repeating over and over how he would rather die than not be around this girl and Im like why though? I get you like to fuck her but there is legit no deeper connection. Like she doesn’t help him with his weird panic attack things (well she did once but apparently that doesn’t help anymore?). Then don’t get me started on the “she has to stay away from him to protect him thing”. The entire book every conversation they have is her being like “I don’t want to talk right now” then him freaking out, getting mad, and then coming back a second later and groveling for her forgiveness like a puss. If I had to read “I can’t lose or function without her/him” one more fucking time I was going to yank my hair out.

 The plot was a rehash of the first book with even more annoying tropes. I am still confused on the magic system and the world. Like how does the immortality work? You live forever unless you get that disease thing but also all the parents seem to age? What the fuck is a helseer or whatever it’s called? Do you have to be a helseer to be in one of the bounty hunter houses or can any race join? I am wildly confused how these bounty hunting houses are so prevalent not only in this city but others as well but they are like criminal organizations? But the government doesn’t seem to give any sort of a fuck and work with them because they are killing demons or whatever. The elementals make no sense, do you have to be a helseer to be one of those or again can any race be one? I just like magic systems to be neat and tidy but this one is all over the map. The book does a terrible job at explaining the politics too. We meet the imperator and his son, what do they rule over? The entire country or are they like mayors of just this city? Maybe all this is addressed but I wasn’t paying attention. But that is a problem in itself. I love world building and if I don’t have the answers because it is explained in a convoluted/boring way that is a problem. 

Low key the only thing that got me through this one was the side characters. I was so pumped to see more of them and not be so focused on the main two. The other being I heard book 3 was very good and wanted to get to that one. 
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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
adventurous emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

739 pages of greatness. Loren comes out of her shell so much and becomes to bold FMC I knew she would be. Darien’s dark past is revealed in depth. He would literally let nothing stand between him and his girl. Max’s POV was a great inclusion. Dallas is becoming more relatable of a character than I thought she would be. The plot was perfection - with the exception of a few holes and unanswered questions. Like wtf happened to Calanthe? Why
was Eramus not more useful?
adventurous dark emotional 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

it took me awhile to get into this book but once i started, i could stop reading. i was kicking my feet giggling because Darien and Loren are my absolute favourites but the PAIN this book caused me?? my gosh, my heart is hurting after finishing and I NEED City of Lies and Legends right this moment.