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juiceboxhero's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
seymone's review against another edition
4.0
Book was slow to start. It didn’t becoming overly engaging until the last 150 pages. However, I enjoyed the storyline. On to the last book of the trilogy.
ashlobennett's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
ilsntx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A beautifully written second in the trilogy. Magic grows and the characters are challenged. It's kind of a slow start, but the ending makes me excited to read the next one!
paxyquiltan's review against another edition
3.0
First off for a book that’s supposedly adult fantasy, the characters give off heavy YA vibes. The only reason I gave this a lower rating than I hoped wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the book. I love the concept, the characters, the relationships (especially Rhy and Alucard! At first I really thought this was going towards a love triangle trope but guys I cannot begin to explain the relief I felt when i was proven wrong!!!!!). So my point is I really enjoyed the book. I breezed passed it. Rhy was such a sweet surprise it was so nice seeing his character development.
The reason Im bummed because I’m frustrated at how much potential this series has and how little is being delivered. Again just like the first I’m left hungry for more. More character development, world building, more details that were relevant to the plot because a lot of scenes just don’t seem relevant to the plot. I mean I enjoyed these scenes but so little was invested in the actual plot. At times it just felt completely all over the place. Like a huge chunk of chapters just felt like fillers that would have fit wonderfully in a novella maybe but like the plot??? And that’s what I felt reading the first book but I was fine with that because i thought all these fillers will make sense in the second book. Also why the heck did the book end where it ended like ????? It felt like it shouldn’t have ended there.
Anyways on to the final book. Please please be good!!!!
The reason Im bummed because I’m frustrated at how much potential this series has and how little is being delivered. Again just like the first I’m left hungry for more. More character development, world building, more details that were relevant to the plot because a lot of scenes just don’t seem relevant to the plot. I mean I enjoyed these scenes but so little was invested in the actual plot. At times it just felt completely all over the place. Like a huge chunk of chapters just felt like fillers that would have fit wonderfully in a novella maybe but like the plot??? And that’s what I felt reading the first book but I was fine with that because i thought all these fillers will make sense in the second book. Also why the heck did the book end where it ended like ????? It felt like it shouldn’t have ended there.
Anyways on to the final book. Please please be good!!!!
lemonyanemone's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
cutenanya's review against another edition
4.0
More like 2 stars for the first 4/5 of the book and 5 stars for the last 1/5.
I cannot help but scream "what a pity !!" after reading this book.
This book is LONG and the pace is SLOW! Many adorable elements in the first book, the dense plot, the fast pace, the action seems to have vanished by magic! There are so many problems with this book I don't know where to begin with but I'll only point out the most serious ones:
1) The Essen Tach
This could easily have been the most exciting part of the book had Schwab devoted more to the games. She should really use the games to let the readers know more about other two areas in the world of Red London. Also, all the fighters have special abilities so why not focus on that a little more? Instead, I felt the whole first 80% of the book was wasted on something unimportant and unfocused. Only did the Essen Tach begin did my interest in the book really pick up, and even then I still feel unsatisfied. Maybe Schwab is not too good with writing action scenes? I don't know but if this series ever gets adapted into a TV series or movie, the Essen Tach certainly would be THE GEM.
2) All the characters have become STRANGE
I loved all the characters (Kell, Rye and Lyla) in the first book but in the second, I felt all of them were whining. I can understand Kell and Rye's whining and I feel sorry for them but heck, they brought it on themselves! Kell always felt he's an outsider but from all his whining and feeling the world is unfair, I almost think he's as spoilt as Rye himself. Obviously, the King and Queen love Kell more than he knows.
Rye too is not what he seems. In the first book, he was a pleasant, charming prince but here, we learn he has a "wardrobe" of personas, some I like more, some less. Still, Rye is a great, complex character and I like him. I'm dying to read more about his story with Alucard.
This brings us next to my favorite character and MVP in this book, Alucard, the noble, the pirate, the magician. If not for Alucard, this book would have been even harder to sit through. I like the mentor-apprentice relationship between Alucard and Lyla, and the absence of romantic relationship between them even makes things better. In fact, one thing that's great about this book is that there's no hint of a love triangle (the element I hate most).
And now, back to Lyla, the main person in this book. Although this book takes multiple POV (mostly on Kell and Lyla), I feel this book is Lyla's book (and other readers seem to share the thought). In the last book, Lyla was adventurous, in this book, she's simply reckless. When Kell scolded her after she lost the tournament, I was shouting and screaming "it's about time someone put some sense into her!". Kudos to Kell! Seriously, Lyla is the last person I would like to have anything to do with, she's simply too selfish and careless. She endangered the lives of everyone, even risked the beginning of a war, by barging her way into the Essen Tach ILLEGALLY! It's one thing to be dauntless and another to be crazy. In this book, Lyla airs on the side of crazy rather than fearless. Still, she has her merits and I guess in a world so messed up as the Londons, we all need a Lyla Bard.
It's sad to say but I'm a really disappointed in this book, especially when the previous one was superb and the worlds of this book so wonderfully crafted. Still, as the pace has picked up in the end of this book, I believe the third book would be as entertaining and exciting as the first, if not more.
I cannot help but scream "what a pity !!" after reading this book.
This book is LONG and the pace is SLOW! Many adorable elements in the first book, the dense plot, the fast pace, the action seems to have vanished by magic! There are so many problems with this book I don't know where to begin with but I'll only point out the most serious ones:
1) The Essen Tach
This could easily have been the most exciting part of the book had Schwab devoted more to the games. She should really use the games to let the readers know more about other two areas in the world of Red London. Also, all the fighters have special abilities so why not focus on that a little more? Instead, I felt the whole first 80% of the book was wasted on something unimportant and unfocused. Only did the Essen Tach begin did my interest in the book really pick up, and even then I still feel unsatisfied. Maybe Schwab is not too good with writing action scenes? I don't know but if this series ever gets adapted into a TV series or movie, the Essen Tach certainly would be THE GEM.
2) All the characters have become STRANGE
I loved all the characters (Kell, Rye and Lyla) in the first book but in the second, I felt all of them were whining. I can understand Kell and Rye's whining and I feel sorry for them but heck, they brought it on themselves! Kell always felt he's an outsider but from all his whining and feeling the world is unfair, I almost think he's as spoilt as Rye himself. Obviously, the King and Queen love Kell more than he knows.
Rye too is not what he seems. In the first book, he was a pleasant, charming prince but here, we learn he has a "wardrobe" of personas, some I like more, some less. Still, Rye is a great, complex character and I like him. I'm dying to read more about his story with Alucard.
This brings us next to my favorite character and MVP in this book, Alucard, the noble, the pirate, the magician. If not for Alucard, this book would have been even harder to sit through. I like the mentor-apprentice relationship between Alucard and Lyla, and the absence of romantic relationship between them even makes things better. In fact, one thing that's great about this book is that there's no hint of a love triangle (the element I hate most).
And now, back to Lyla, the main person in this book. Although this book takes multiple POV (mostly on Kell and Lyla), I feel this book is Lyla's book (and other readers seem to share the thought). In the last book, Lyla was adventurous, in this book, she's simply reckless. When Kell scolded her after she lost the tournament, I was shouting and screaming "it's about time someone put some sense into her!". Kudos to Kell! Seriously, Lyla is the last person I would like to have anything to do with, she's simply too selfish and careless. She endangered the lives of everyone, even risked the beginning of a war, by barging her way into the Essen Tach ILLEGALLY! It's one thing to be dauntless and another to be crazy. In this book, Lyla airs on the side of crazy rather than fearless. Still, she has her merits and I guess in a world so messed up as the Londons, we all need a Lyla Bard.
It's sad to say but I'm a really disappointed in this book, especially when the previous one was superb and the worlds of this book so wonderfully crafted. Still, as the pace has picked up in the end of this book, I believe the third book would be as entertaining and exciting as the first, if not more.
micallab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
amhicks_0728's review against another edition
5.0
When you're so invested in finding out the end of the book, and it's a CLIFFHANGER! It was so good, and I can't wait to get the next book in the series. The characters, setting and plot are so well developed, I love the concept. Even though the characters are flawed, you root for them because they're so dynamically human.
bluejaybooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite addictive, and I read it in an extremely short period of time. The character development was also great.
That said, I felt like the plot didn’t develop much in this book. I was hoping to learn a lot more about a certain parallel world than I got to. Hopefully more will be explained in the sequel.
That said, I felt like the plot didn’t develop much in this book. I was hoping to learn a lot more about a certain parallel world than I got to. Hopefully more will be explained in the sequel.