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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
I’d give it 10/5 if I could!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book ate and left no crumbs whatsoever. The second in the series, I wasn’t sure if I should expect a resolution in this or not, but I have to say, absolutely stoked with what I did get. And what I got was REPRESENTATION BABEY!!!!
You may recall that I wasn’t super stoked about the ending to the first instalment in this series, and I still stand by that. You can’t just stack all of your plot action in the last fifty pages and call it good development. It seems Piper CJ figured that out, and this time around we had a lovely swathe of action and plot spread evenly throughout the book. We were also given some sex scenes (for pleasure this time, not for business) which I think were meant to be really sexy, but I honestly couldn’t stop laughing while reading one of them. I can’t really explain exactly why I found it hilarious, but it just was, and I was being so insufferable I had to go to a separate room to read the piece because I couldn’t stop making stupid faces and laughing.
Correction to my previous outburst in the review about book one: they’re not lesbians, they’re BISEXUALS HAROLD!! Fantasy so often reduces people in to little boxes with no room for grey areas, such as characters being 100% straight, 100% gay, 100% lesbian, or worse, just having there be a terrible love triangle that ruins everything for everyone. The Sun and it’s Shade spits on those books, and says “fuck you, bisexuals are alive and well in the real world, as well as in this one too”. Seeing Nox and Amaris be two different kinds of bisexual representation was the coolest shit and I loved it. It was also great to have them be separated, but not pitted against each other in a terrible miscommunication/quasi cheating type situation so further points added because of that. I also enjoyed Nox’s little discourse about relationships, the nature of love, and how that works in her own head too, because it was not only an explanation for the characters but doubled as a bit of exposition for the reader.
The bread crumbing in this was immaculate, and I honestly I wish there’d been slightly more of this caliber of reveal in the first book so that I might have talked slightly less shit. Plot threads were laid down in book one that came to fruition only in book two, and despite the MANY hints I was given, I didn’t manage to accurately predict what on earth was going to happen, which is a HUGE win for ADHD brain. There is so much elaborate setup, and we got some delicious reveals here too, so I am very much looking forward to book 3 because holy shit, what a tantalising place to leave us waiting.
5/5 stars, redeemed the first book entirely and I’m excited for what comes next. Good use of character discussion to double as exposition and also for having representation that didn’t feel performative.
You may recall that I wasn’t super stoked about the ending to the first instalment in this series, and I still stand by that. You can’t just stack all of your plot action in the last fifty pages and call it good development. It seems Piper CJ figured that out, and this time around we had a lovely swathe of action and plot spread evenly throughout the book. We were also given some sex scenes (for pleasure this time, not for business) which I think were meant to be really sexy, but I honestly couldn’t stop laughing while reading one of them. I can’t really explain exactly why I found it hilarious, but it just was, and I was being so insufferable I had to go to a separate room to read the piece because I couldn’t stop making stupid faces and laughing.
Correction to my previous outburst in the review about book one: they’re not lesbians, they’re BISEXUALS HAROLD!! Fantasy so often reduces people in to little boxes with no room for grey areas, such as characters being 100% straight, 100% gay, 100% lesbian, or worse, just having there be a terrible love triangle that ruins everything for everyone. The Sun and it’s Shade spits on those books, and says “fuck you, bisexuals are alive and well in the real world, as well as in this one too”. Seeing Nox and Amaris be two different kinds of bisexual representation was the coolest shit and I loved it. It was also great to have them be separated, but not pitted against each other in a terrible miscommunication/quasi cheating type situation so further points added because of that. I also enjoyed Nox’s little discourse about relationships, the nature of love, and how that works in her own head too, because it was not only an explanation for the characters but doubled as a bit of exposition for the reader.
The bread crumbing in this was immaculate, and I honestly I wish there’d been slightly more of this caliber of reveal in the first book so that I might have talked slightly less shit. Plot threads were laid down in book one that came to fruition only in book two, and despite the MANY hints I was given, I didn’t manage to accurately predict what on earth was going to happen, which is a HUGE win for ADHD brain. There is so much elaborate setup, and we got some delicious reveals here too, so I am very much looking forward to book 3 because holy shit, what a tantalising place to leave us waiting.
5/5 stars, redeemed the first book entirely and I’m excited for what comes next. Good use of character discussion to double as exposition and also for having representation that didn’t feel performative.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the first book is copy + paste witcher lore and characters.
the first book resulted in reviewers getting attacked by the author and her cringe af stans.
the first book was poorly written, which failed to understand why the material it stole from the witcher was successful.
the second book is doubling down on all these things, and glossing over them like they didn't happen. i mean the classy thing would be to bow out of the industry, apologize to those affected, and move on. but, here we are, book two.
it's equally as awful as the first.
it lacks finesse. it lacks ability. it lacks soul.
it is just copy + pasted industry popularity, and plagiarized characters.
just read the witcher books and comics instead.
just read actual bi tales and stories instead.
don't support authors who come into reviewer spaces and attacks reviewers.
don't support authors who use their stans to personally attack people.
also, the book reads like a 14 angsty fanfic that shoulda stayed in the notes app.
the first book resulted in reviewers getting attacked by the author and her cringe af stans.
the first book was poorly written, which failed to understand why the material it stole from the witcher was successful.
the second book is doubling down on all these things, and glossing over them like they didn't happen. i mean the classy thing would be to bow out of the industry, apologize to those affected, and move on. but, here we are, book two.
it's equally as awful as the first.
it lacks finesse. it lacks ability. it lacks soul.
it is just copy + pasted industry popularity, and plagiarized characters.
just read the witcher books and comics instead.
just read actual bi tales and stories instead.
don't support authors who come into reviewer spaces and attacks reviewers.
don't support authors who use their stans to personally attack people.
also, the book reads like a 14 angsty fanfic that shoulda stayed in the notes app.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I could be more invested in the central romance, but there’s no development of it. Between the first two books, I’m just expected to believe they’re in love. The way the book is written: things happen, but visuals aren’t drawn and experienced by the reader.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes