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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
This was Kingdom-of-Ash-inspired fantasy junk food for me. Is it groundbreaking and perfectly composed? No. But I had a great fucking time. I think the author tends to over-write, explaining and spelling out things that aren’t necessary and using overly-flowery language to communicate basic details. Cutting that stuff out would have saved us probably 50 pages lol. But I do appreciate her explanations and explorations of complex emotions, which is a large strongpoint of the first two novels.
The last 50 pages were a blur but the slow burn in the other 500 pages?? Loved. Absolutely loved.
Gadriel and Malik are my favorite characters, hands down.
This will be a series I continue to read, not for the artistry of literature but for my connection to the cast.
The last 50 pages were a blur but the slow burn in the other 500 pages?? Loved. Absolutely loved.
Gadriel and Malik are my favorite characters, hands down.
This will be a series I continue to read, not for the artistry of literature but for my connection to the cast.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I appreciate how much effort the author put into this book series. It's a combination of a lot of things I enjoy reading. Fantasy, politics, secrecy, queerness, friendships. I do get frustrated with characters but I don't find that to be a fault of the book. It's good that I'm reading something that can bring forth emotion in me, and this book certainly did. I've already downloaded the third book and can't wait to see how everything folds out. Finding a well developed fantasy series that continues on for several books, has carefully thought out world building, characters who have depth, and politics that keep you hooked feels like finding gold. Read this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
The tags chose are discussed within the story but done within a respectful way I find. But even the mention of it can still be triggering for some people and that's okay.
surprisingly, I enjoyed The Sun and its Shade more than the first in the series and found there to be overall improvements to the quality of plot and the writing across the board. I found myself more engaged in the story and interested in the characters, who actually seem to have worthwhile development this time around. If you are someone who enjoyed the first one I highly recommend picking this up as well!
The obvious sexualisation of Nox in the first 40 pages is not necessary. Not only that but the lack of characterisation for her is annoying, It's obvious she was only created for her body and her romance with Amaris
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this second book of the series to be more enjoyable for several reasons. I definitely appreciate the character development (especially Nox), and I appreciate the plot line of this book as well. I cried at the end, but I genuinely prefer books where an author isn't afraid to kill off a character. I want to feel the feels.
Nox remains my favorite character, and I'm so glad the author gave her more depth beyond her obsession/love with Amaris. Her worldview shifts, and she's willing to allow the growth of her mindset to shift as well. It shows someone with emotional maturity. I enjoy her flaws and ability to hold herself accountable. Amaris still irks me with her immaturity and lack of communication. Huge chunks of her chapters could be resolved by simply communicating her concerns. Her lack of concern for anything not centered around her is frustrating.
"But Amanda, she's trying to restore balance, which is altruistic!"
No, she's trying to restore balance based on her egoic idea of her identity. She has very little self-awareness beyond what others think of her and her own self-serving motives. While Nox over extends herself to help Amaris, Amaris does fuck all to consider Nox. While Gadriel repeatedly shows he's got her back, she consistently doubts him and treats him like a fucking 10yr old would. She has the communication skills of a french fry. I'm really hopeful that she will go through a character arc that leads to her being more selfless for no other reason than to just be selfless. No strings attached.
As for the plotline, there are several twists and turns that I really enjoy. I personally felt like it was obvious that Nox was the heir of both kingdoms, but I still really like how it all came together. I also enjoyed the pacing of this book more than the first and found myself more interested in reading it. I'm looking forward to how it all shakes out in the next couple books.
Nox remains my favorite character, and I'm so glad the author gave her more depth beyond her obsession/love with Amaris. Her worldview shifts, and she's willing to allow the growth of her mindset to shift as well. It shows someone with emotional maturity. I enjoy her flaws and ability to hold herself accountable. Amaris still irks me with her immaturity and lack of communication. Huge chunks of her chapters could be resolved by simply communicating her concerns. Her lack of concern for anything not centered around her is frustrating.
"But Amanda, she's trying to restore balance, which is altruistic!"
No, she's trying to restore balance based on her egoic idea of her identity. She has very little self-awareness beyond what others think of her and her own self-serving motives. While Nox over extends herself to help Amaris, Amaris does fuck all to consider Nox. While Gadriel repeatedly shows he's got her back, she consistently doubts him and treats him like a fucking 10yr old would. She has the communication skills of a french fry. I'm really hopeful that she will go through a character arc that leads to her being more selfless for no other reason than to just be selfless. No strings attached.
As for the plotline, there are several twists and turns that I really enjoy. I personally felt like it was obvious that Nox was the heir of both kingdoms, but I still really like how it all came together. I also enjoyed the pacing of this book more than the first and found myself more interested in reading it. I'm looking forward to how it all shakes out in the next couple books.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
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:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
SEXY