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alialu's review against another edition
5.0
Review update soon on reread in 2023
2022
Oh well, this took a while!
Did I like this? Absolutely
Do I love the characters? YES (VARGOOOOOO)
Did it live up to the series? .... yeah?
Let's get into that.
I love this story. I think it's complicated and mystical, and that even at this point, we don't understand half of it yet.
I loved the first book, even if it took a while to understand the pace and the city and its functioning. But once that happened, I remembered sprinting through the last pages with my heart on my throat, because I just NEEDED TO KNOW what would happen next.
In the liar's knot, we have a better understanding of how Nadezra works, and it gets more centered in the development of some relationships. Things happen all the time, the story is always moving forwards.
BUT, it is true, that my heart didn't jump out of my chest on a lot of ocasions, I didn't feel the need to sprint through the pages except in about three chapters.
I think all I'm saying feels a little vague, but it's the only thing that comes to mind when I try to review this book.
I think what sums it up is, it was gooooood, but I wanted some more surprises.
(it must be noted that this could all be cynicism due to how tired I am for everything else in my life)
That said, oh gods, the characters' development.
We finally understand Vargo. Yeeeey!
Ships get to shore. Yeeeey!
Chapter 15, "The Liar's knot".... YEEEEEEEEEEEYY
That's about it.
Thank you!
2022
Oh well, this took a while!
Did I like this? Absolutely
Do I love the characters? YES (VARGOOOOOO)
Did it live up to the series? .... yeah?
Let's get into that.
I love this story. I think it's complicated and mystical, and that even at this point, we don't understand half of it yet.
I loved the first book, even if it took a while to understand the pace and the city and its functioning. But once that happened, I remembered sprinting through the last pages with my heart on my throat, because I just NEEDED TO KNOW what would happen next.
In the liar's knot, we have a better understanding of how Nadezra works, and it gets more centered in the development of some relationships. Things happen all the time, the story is always moving forwards.
BUT, it is true, that my heart didn't jump out of my chest on a lot of ocasions, I didn't feel the need to sprint through the pages except in about three chapters.
I think all I'm saying feels a little vague, but it's the only thing that comes to mind when I try to review this book.
I think what sums it up is, it was gooooood, but I wanted some more surprises.
(it must be noted that this could all be cynicism due to how tired I am for everything else in my life)
That said, oh gods, the characters' development.
We finally understand Vargo. Yeeeey!
Ships get to shore. Yeeeey!
Chapter 15, "The Liar's knot".... YEEEEEEEEEEEYY
That's about it.
Thank you!
ljp817's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
5.0
lilylovelovely's review against another edition
5.0
I JUST LOVE THEM OMG!! AFTER THE HALF WAY MARK IT WAS SO SO FOUND FAMILY VIBES I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM!! REN VARGO GREY TESS PALVIN GIUNA SEDGE, JUST EVERYONE THE ARE MY BABIES!!
rachelreadsrelentlessly's review against another edition
I genuinely love this series, it's one of the best I have read in a while, I just lost track of the plot and need to go back and start over.
brinipor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Grey got me when he gave Ren that cat, HOWEVER, Vargo is still my ride or die. Me and Ren were beefing a bit when she was so angry at him, but we got over that. I look forward to Vargo breaking the city and putting it back together along with all the people he didn't intend to care about. I am very curious about Ren is going to do with her four different lives at the end of this.
head_dink's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I'm an avid reader. I easily read a book a day. However, even I can get quite intimidated by bigger books. Because those books take me longer than a day to finish and there is something in me that is always a little scared to get invested like that. I did quite enjoy the first book in this series though, but I knew I needed a little push to make sure I would also read the second book in this series. That push came thanks to the publisher and Netgalley in the form of an arc.
I made an entire planning for this book. I was gonna read a certain amount of pages a day. Eventually I finished over a week earlier. And I guess that says everything you need to know about the second book in this series. Even though it's the second book, the excitement of the new world died down and they can't give us the grand finale yet, it was never boring, it never lost my attention, it never felt too long. The more I read, the more invested I got.
That's partly because there's even more magic in this book than in the previous book. We're discovering some new forms of magic, we see way more magic in action and we're also truly confronted with how dangerous the constant presence of a magic like this can be. Loads of questions from the first book are answered and I truly felt this book gave us all the pieces of the puzzle and now in the next book we're gonna see how all those pieces fit.
This book also helped us to grow more attached to the key players in this story. Somehow it felt like this book was more focussed on the characters that are truly important. Most chapters were either from Ren's, Vargo's or Grey's point of view. That doesn't mean the other characters are forgotten, far from it. They still have their own challenges and storylines, they are just not always described in that much detail and I personally liked that.
I'm now really looking forward to the next book in the series! The stakes are incredibly high now, so bring it on!
I made an entire planning for this book. I was gonna read a certain amount of pages a day. Eventually I finished over a week earlier. And I guess that says everything you need to know about the second book in this series. Even though it's the second book, the excitement of the new world died down and they can't give us the grand finale yet, it was never boring, it never lost my attention, it never felt too long. The more I read, the more invested I got.
That's partly because there's even more magic in this book than in the previous book. We're discovering some new forms of magic, we see way more magic in action and we're also truly confronted with how dangerous the constant presence of a magic like this can be. Loads of questions from the first book are answered and I truly felt this book gave us all the pieces of the puzzle and now in the next book we're gonna see how all those pieces fit.
This book also helped us to grow more attached to the key players in this story. Somehow it felt like this book was more focussed on the characters that are truly important. Most chapters were either from Ren's, Vargo's or Grey's point of view. That doesn't mean the other characters are forgotten, far from it. They still have their own challenges and storylines, they are just not always described in that much detail and I personally liked that.
I'm now really looking forward to the next book in the series! The stakes are incredibly high now, so bring it on!
booktalktaylor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
5.0
fantasy worlds like this just aren’t meant to be judged book by book. this GENIUS story feels like folklore passed down through the generations. I honestly can’t get enough. these characters have my heart.
THE SLOW BURN ROMANCE is what I fucking live for. I couldn’t quite give it the full 5 stars until it happened. and I was head over heels 🥲 what a beautiful story, and one that isn’t even done yet!
i’m SO THRILLED that all 3 are out. the political intrigue continued, somehow even FURTHER complicated than last book. the threads that Ren weaves ((and honestly every other noble family)) are so intricate and in depth, it’s AMAZING that this story lived in someone’s brain and was able to translate onto paper so well.
I can’t wait to see how the complications and struggles from this book tie into the conclusion. ALSIUS better have a huge role in the next book because he is my FAVORITE 🤩🤩🤩🤩
A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.
THE SLOW BURN ROMANCE is what I fucking live for. I couldn’t quite give it the full 5 stars until it happened. and I was head over heels 🥲 what a beautiful story, and one that isn’t even done yet!
i’m SO THRILLED that all 3 are out. the political intrigue continued, somehow even FURTHER complicated than last book. the threads that Ren weaves ((and honestly every other noble family)) are so intricate and in depth, it’s AMAZING that this story lived in someone’s brain and was able to translate onto paper so well.
I can’t wait to see how the complications and struggles from this book tie into the conclusion. ALSIUS better have a huge role in the next book because he is my FAVORITE 🤩🤩🤩🤩
A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.
onaquest's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
5.0
nonesensed's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Ren has reached her goal of becoming a member of a nobel family though it is a pyrrhic victory. The Rook knows of her masquerade as a noblewoman and she has more subterfuge to juggle than ever before. Some of the ruling elite of Nadežra are squabbling among themselves, doing terrible things to gain yet more power, and figuring out who they are might be the only way to stay alive. Because whether Ren likes it or not, she's somehow ended up a key piece in a terrible magical conspiracy game.
Okay, so, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR FOR BOOK 3????? In all seriousness, this was a really really good read with a great end point. Like book 1 of this series, this story has an ending that feels both complete and compelling in that I don't feel left on a cliffhanger but I do want to know more about what happens next. I love all the characters, I love the sub-plots that deal with romance and relationships, and Vargo has ended up one of my new favorite characters. All in all, I adore this book series, and if you enjoy found family, con artists with hearts of gold, political intrigue and identity games, this is definitely the book series for you! Highly recommended!
Okay, so, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR FOR BOOK 3????? In all seriousness, this was a really really good read with a great end point. Like book 1 of this series, this story has an ending that feels both complete and compelling in that I don't feel left on a cliffhanger but I do want to know more about what happens next. I love all the characters, I love the sub-plots that deal with romance and relationships, and Vargo has ended up one of my new favorite characters. All in all, I adore this book series, and if you enjoy found family, con artists with hearts of gold, political intrigue and identity games, this is definitely the book series for you! Highly recommended!