Scan barcode
yyehudit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
8.3
…
I didn't love this like I did #1 but I really did like it. (Although I will say, right off the bat, I really wish authors writing goblins would stop assigning them their traditional antisemitic tropes. First book they were just greedy, which, I don't like but that's a pretty basic trait that by itself may not bring to mind antisemitic parallels. In this book, though, we learn that goblins…universally posses knowledge? Totally unnecessary addition that did nothing to further the plot. Should've been left out. At least the words “elite” or “cabal” weren't used.)
The start left me pretty anxious that the ACOTAR similarities were going to dominate the book. I didn't mind them in the first book - I don't think a love triangle involving Golden Retriever Boy vs. Tall Dark and Handsome is unique to ACOTAR. There are other crossovers, but to be honest, there's a lot of tropes in fae books that repeat themselves. I don't mind that.
But Misha - I was so scared that Bri wasn't going to be able to forgive either Sebastian or Finn, and that he was going to be introduced as a new love interest. I mean, it started out so much like ACOMAF. **** mild spoiler **** Girl gets whisked away to a wild court where the sarcastic, flirty, mind-reading King/High Lord teaches her to shield herself? I was SHAKING in my boots until Bri reunited with Finn. ** mild spoiler over **
I spent the second half of the book convincing myself that surely this will end up being the second book of a trilogy - the pacing was all off. I enjoy Ryan’s twists (I foresaw the ending, but not how it happened, which was a pleasant surprise) but they felt rushed this time around.
I think a lot of the books issues would've been resolved if the pacing in the first half of the book was tightened up, so the resolution could’ve drawn out more of Bri’s acceptance of her shadow self.
I hated the epilogue. (Or I least think it should've been pushed a few years into the future.)
Characters 9/10
Atmosphere/World Building 7/10
Writing Style 7/10
Plot 8/10
Character Growth 9/10
Dialogue / Relationships 9/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Content Warnings
Minor: Antisemitism
More...