Reviews

dnf @ 23% - i loved the first book so much i even gave it 5* but i couldnt really get into this one and im not sure why, maybe it's because of the reading slump or maybe i just dont like it
one day i'll give it another chance (hopefully)

garbanzobeans's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.75

Another quick read. Fun. Major spoiler below so don’t get cute…

RIP Dominic

apple0loving0shinigami's review against another edition

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3.0

Unmemorable and plotless.

The new characters were okay-ish but I certainly didn't feel anything for them. There was so much potential for the story but this ended up as just a rip off from the X-Men.

On the other hand, I love Schwab's writing style. So maybe the third book will be better?

kagosaurus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hjrey's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? Yes

5.0

If you lived in the dark, you died in the dark.

About: Victor Vale is no stranger to death, only now he can't seem to stop dying. Two minutes, three minutes, four minutes... Unless he can find an EO to fix him, he may not wake up the next time. So he begins to hunt EOs, just as Eli Evers once did. And one EO in particular is not hiding. Marcella Riggins wants her powers to be known. But her powers of not of the healing kind and she's ready to ruin all in her path.

Thoughts
Why do I love Victor so much? He's a cold, calculating killer, he uses people as pawns, and he always hangs up the phone way too early. But damn, he just had It about him. I make up excuses for his killings, re-read sections to understand why his actions are necessary, and fan girl over every clever line and cool moment. He's a villain alright, but he's a villain you can't help rooting for.

The story in this one is a little messier than the first book as there's a lot of set-up. Marcella's character is great but her story doesn't really connect with Victor or Eli for the majority of the book. The synopsis suggests she's playing everyone and pulling all the strings, but while she's a very strong character and definitely important to the story, she's not exactly the mastermind behind either of Victor's or Eli's actions. So how the three stories connected felt a little messy, but also brilliant because I have no idea how Schwab conceived of this story or made the events work so perfectly towards the end.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous, as I've now come to expect from Schwab. The characters are fascinating - even the ones you despise have such a strong presence that you can't help finding their stories compelling. And I'm still so in love with the magic system, the powers are really well thought out and fit the characters so completely. I'm dying for Mitch to die and get a power. I want more Mitch.

This is such an incredible series, I really hope Schwab continues it because it is genuinely exciting to read.

minonie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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