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veronicachp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Kind of bummed, this is my second time reading this one and I didn't enjoy it as much as I remember the first time. It was...alright? I finished it, at times I enjoyed it and was invested, but not enough to counteract my growing irritation. I just feel like every single character made a whole bunch of really stupid choices the whole way through.
The main character, Eona, makes most of her choices impetuously, guided either by fear or getting carried away with her power, there is no critical thought involved like, ever. She makes the same mistakes over and over and then feels guilty but never stops making them. I felt like it was very at odds with the smart and savvy "emperor's advisor" role she's supposed to be filling and it became pretty irritating that she never seems to learn from her mistakes. At one point Emperor Kygo calls her "a born strategist" and I swear that literally made floating question marks appear above my head.
The romantic storyline felt flat and bland because instead of realistic meaningful growth and development it just felt like most of the men in the book went "Oh you're a girl? Alright I guess I love you then." There's supposed to be this big romance but (in contrast to what I loved so much about the first book) there are zero actually meaningful conversations in this book where the characters learn about each other, just a lot of arguing and expectations of trust and loyalty without doing anything to cultivate it. I would feel differently if there was that desperate "we're definitely going to die" passion that excuses a lot of relationship building, but the most we get in this book are a few kisses, so it really feels like they're in a "romance" because he's a boy and she's a girl and they have to be because that's the YA novel law, despite not trusting each other or often even seeming to really like each other.
Things I did like: Lord Ido's kinda redemption arc. I felt like he was one of the only characters in this book to have any genuine depth, and I so wish we'd gotten more of his backstory. I also liked the reveal of more dragon lore. Beyond that, uhhhh, not a lot.
The plot also felt pretty rushed, which is wild for a 500+ page book, and the ending was very abrupt. Just done, no follow up, no checking in on the characters and the world as they rebuild, just done.
The main character, Eona, makes most of her choices impetuously, guided either by fear or getting carried away with her power, there is no critical thought involved like, ever. She makes the same mistakes over and over and then feels guilty but never stops making them. I felt like it was very at odds with the smart and savvy "emperor's advisor" role she's supposed to be filling and it became pretty irritating that she never seems to learn from her mistakes. At one point Emperor Kygo calls her "a born strategist" and I swear that literally made floating question marks appear above my head.
The romantic storyline felt flat and bland because instead of realistic meaningful growth and development it just felt like most of the men in the book went "Oh you're a girl? Alright I guess I love you then." There's supposed to be this big romance but (in contrast to what I loved so much about the first book) there are zero actually meaningful conversations in this book where the characters learn about each other, just a lot of arguing and expectations of trust and loyalty without doing anything to cultivate it. I would feel differently if there was that desperate "we're definitely going to die" passion that excuses a lot of relationship building, but the most we get in this book are a few kisses, so it really feels like they're in a "romance" because he's a boy and she's a girl and they have to be because that's the YA novel law, despite not trusting each other or often even seeming to really like each other.
Things I did like: Lord Ido's kinda redemption arc. I felt like he was one of the only characters in this book to have any genuine depth, and I so wish we'd gotten more of his backstory. I also liked the reveal of more dragon lore. Beyond that, uhhhh, not a lot.
The plot also felt pretty rushed, which is wild for a 500+ page book, and the ending was very abrupt. Just done, no follow up, no checking in on the characters and the world as they rebuild, just done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Gore, and Death
Minor: Vomit, Blood, and Excrement
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