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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one got less than 4 stars because the plot is a bit holey in some places and isn't very well described or fleshed out. I look forward to the third book to see how she embellishes a bit more.
A++ on the slow burn, even though some of the inner monologues from the characters were a bit too cheesy at times
A++ on the slow burn, even though some of the inner monologues from the characters were a bit too cheesy at times
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Still reeling from the events and losses in Myrrai, Kase deals with family infighting and understanding his next role. Hallie busies herself with helping the Yalvs integrate into society within the city of Kyvena, but she can’t bear to attend University, so takes a job as a server. When Hallie’s family sends her a note that she needs to come home, Hallie asks Kase to fly her there. Kase agrees, as he’s running from a massive secret that could mean his death.
The adventure results in flashes of lovely, touching moments and action reminiscent of the best parts of the first book. Any time Hallie and Kase are working as a team, overcoming their traumas, and expanding their budding romance that neither will admit exists, the story shines. And to be fair, about two thirds of the book is lovely and enjoyable.
Other reviewers found the first half slow, but I found it just right. I loved Hallie and Kase’s inner conflicts as they process what happened in Myrrai and their new worldviews. I also adored most parts of Jove and Clara’s chapters, but …
Where it falls flat is too much explanation and diving into politics, particularly in Jove’s chapters. I love political intrigue, but the politics were over-explaining just to land on a simple conflict. Ok, it’s realistic - politics are messy - but the overly complicated politics were like red herrings, which just landed me confused and bored for some of the story’s second half. It made me wonder why much of the story was necessary.
Hallie made me roll my eyes several times. At the beginning, her character shifted too far into damsel, even fainting from hearing about deaths. Luckily, she redeems herself as the brave scholar I’d come to know later in the book.
We meet a few new characters from Hallie’s past, and unfortunately, these characters were rather flat, including a “mountain man” dialect that disrupted reading. They’re likely to be part of the third book, so hopefully they’ll be better rounded. I would have preferred learning about these new characters rather than understanding the political turmoil.
This story is not as well-written as the last one.. It was over described with dramatic stage direction, making it read far more amateur than the first book.
If you really loved the first book, especially if you loved Kase and Hallie and want to see where they go, it’s worth reading this one. Just be prepared to slog through the politics.
Also, I rounded up to 3 stars, but really find it about 2.5 stars. I liked it, but there were issues.
The adventure results in flashes of lovely, touching moments and action reminiscent of the best parts of the first book. Any time Hallie and Kase are working as a team, overcoming their traumas, and expanding their budding romance that neither will admit exists, the story shines. And to be fair, about two thirds of the book is lovely and enjoyable.
Other reviewers found the first half slow, but I found it just right. I loved Hallie and Kase’s inner conflicts as they process what happened in Myrrai and their new worldviews. I also adored most parts of Jove and Clara’s chapters, but …
Where it falls flat is too much explanation and diving into politics, particularly in Jove’s chapters. I love political intrigue, but the politics were over-explaining just to land on a simple conflict. Ok, it’s realistic - politics are messy - but the overly complicated politics were like red herrings, which just landed me confused and bored for some of the story’s second half. It made me wonder why much of the story was necessary.
Hallie made me roll my eyes several times. At the beginning, her character shifted too far into damsel, even fainting from hearing about deaths. Luckily, she redeems herself as the brave scholar I’d come to know later in the book.
We meet a few new characters from Hallie’s past, and unfortunately, these characters were rather flat, including a “mountain man” dialect that disrupted reading. They’re likely to be part of the third book, so hopefully they’ll be better rounded. I would have preferred learning about these new characters rather than understanding the political turmoil.
This story is not as well-written as the last one.. It was over described with dramatic stage direction, making it read far more amateur than the first book.
If you really loved the first book, especially if you loved Kase and Hallie and want to see where they go, it’s worth reading this one. Just be prepared to slog through the politics.
Also, I rounded up to 3 stars, but really find it about 2.5 stars. I liked it, but there were issues.
I didn’t like this one as much as i did the first one. I thought that it took quite long for them to go on an adventure again and what they did in the capital wasn’t as interesting. Also what a fk slowburn. I do want to know what happens in the third book tho.
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated