Reviews

This sequel to The Emperor's Edge upped the fear factor. There are real sequences where our team was in danger of failing, a member or two (or three, or four, or five) ALL dying. Honestly, I was on the "edge" (pun intended) of my seat...reading the next sentence, paragraph, page, chapter...to make sure that our band of misfits...made it out alive.

The goal of our merry band of misfits...is to make it known to the king, that they are actually NOT a menace to the kingdom, but actually working on its behalf...so please do not execute us. Please.

Not the normal premise of a series, but one that inspires, though (honestly) I doubt will happen for all of them (IF they even live to the end of this book, the next book, or the next.

Amaranthe - our protagonist. The one we are in her head the most. The one that we are most like. The one that is actually the leader...who is reluctant, but also the heart of the crew.

Sicarius - most possibly the deadliest person ANYONE in the crew, the kingdom, and the world knows. Who's the #1 person that pretty much EVERYONE wants to kill...for ALL the things that he's actually done. He's also the one that Amaranthe is in love with. Figures. Right? Question is...is he in love with Amaranthe?

Book - in this story, I feel that he is the character that grew the most. He had his moments of doubt. He had his moments of romance. He also found his way to being a hero. Not bad for an academic. Right?

Maldynado - this guy is NOT my favourite (on the page OR in real life). He is the character that thinks of himself FIRST, before anyone or anything...and sometimes I wonder if the crew would be better off without him...then he does one infinitesimal thing...and he puff up like he's "the man". Ugh. BUT then again...he has some great lines.

Basilard - this character is the least known/memorable of the bunch for me. I'm not sure if it is just me, or the way he's written. By the end, though, I think the next story will focus on him...some how/some way. Interesting.

Akstyr - the kid came into his own in this one...though his "studying" was annoying at times. In real life we'd call him out BIG. But, he came in clutch...when he was needed to...and we are eternally grateful. Thank you. You are still a pain in the ass, though.

I had a lot of fun/anxiety while reading this book. It went by SO fast. Okay...now I have to figure out IF there is a novella or short story to read BEFORE reading the THIRD book in the series. Hmmm.

richardpierce's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. I'm growing increasingly fond of Amaranthe and her ragtag band of helpers, and a deadly assassin. Another fun read.

loonytoons's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

mdlaclair's review against another edition

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2.0

I am feeling like book one was a fluke. I really liked book one. I don't know what happen with book two. It is a lot of getting to know characters which I get sorta. Maybe it is because the book is from a different POV i just did not like it as much as the first one.

talknerdybookblog's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Representation: Supporting character cannot speak and uses sign language

Mature Themes:

• Alcohol consumption
• Swearing using the fictional world's curses

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Knife violence
• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Description of magical animals eating people alive
• Description of dead bodies

Ending:

HFN

small_alex's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Okay so I loved this, BUT I had the POV problem again. I didn't care for Book's POV, and by around halfway through the book, I was pretty much skipping it altogether (more like very briefly skimming). I know I probably missed some plot points, but I was willing to make that sacrifice. I still enjoyed the story and followed along fairly easily, so it couldn't have been that detrimental overall. And I still read the important parts (like the major plotpoints). I just don't really love his character enough to be interested in his POV. I like him more as a side character who's part of the team. His internal monologue just didn't interest me (though it was important for better understanding his character and his development)! It was not poorly done by any means. It just wasn't for me.

Now that that's out of the way. I still love the FMC. Her banter (if you can call it that) with Sicarius is hilarious and I love it. Speaking of love...

what the fuck was that love profession omg okay so I'm glad that the awkwardness of it got a bit downplayed when he sort of reciprocated but oof. When she made the confession to herself mentally, I thought it was a bit sudden, but honestly I am glad that she told him. I'm also glad it's not super sexual or anything yet (though when they do eventually give in to their feelings, I will be disappointed if its abruptly fade to black

. But yeah aside from that first thing, I'm super happy with the pacing of both the plot and the relationship development of all of the characters. The slowly building loyalty of their whole little team is very nice. We also finally got more good women characters!! (sort of). So that's a win.

I absolutely L O V E D the end section of this book. Like. Obsessed. I was giddy.

Specifically, those women-targeting magic monsters and the scene where they wrecked our girl's shit and Sicarius got all angsty ughhhhh I loved that so much please give me more of that

. Their conversation after was also so fucking funny oh my god "Five minutes" LMAO I absolutely love the callbacks in their conversations but that one in particular killed me. I initially wasn't feeling this book as much as the first one because it was much more dual POV but man this whole end sequence really just did it for me. Very excited to read the third book!!

ingypingy2000's review against another edition

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4.0

I will admit this book was a bit slower for me to get into. I didn't really start falling in love with it until almost 2/3 thru. I did fall in love with it tho and I'm eager to read the next book (which thankfully I already bought do I can start as soon as I'm done writing g this).

I think what really draws me to this book is that I think it fleshed out the characters a bit more. Makes them a bit more human? Gives them some more well rounded personalities?

Either way, I enjoyed it all around. Fun action, snarky humor, and enough plot to keep us rooting for them!

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