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frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Growing up is learning that it's okay to rate SJM books less than 5 stars.
Okay, so this book was long and so full of plot and I'm sure I've already forgotten all of it but let's try this:
THE CHARACTERS:
I absolutely loved the cast in this sequel and while the first book was very much a "Bryce and Hunt" novel, this time the big amount of characters we got introduced to in the first book all got their moments to shine and either already had good storylines or we got hints to exciting ones in the future (Ithan, I'm looking at you).
In my opinion, this is the first time SJM has managed to write true morally grey characters (and not just misunderstood bad boys), mainly with Corman and Tharion, who make wild choices, whose purpose isn't solely to make this a better world. Same goes for so many of the female characters, my favourites being Lidia and Celestina. They have their own difficult past and present situations to work with and can't just accept anything that Bryce plans for them.
Bryce really isn't a perfect angel either — she makes really dumb choices in this book but they're also very human choices. She's just getting into this whole Chosen One thing and she really struggles with it and its consequences at times. But as I said, her choices are all understandable (to some degree), you can tell that she only means the best but sometimes we all fuck up and that's portrayed really well here.
Shoutout to Hunt here, who's always portrayed as this big alphahole, but man actually thinks from time to time and questions what Bryce and him are doing. Men in this fantasy thinking over their relationship? In this economy? More likely than you think.
Going against all expectations (mainly my own), I've chosen to break my streak of my favourite character in SJM books always being the bisexual blonde cousin. I really tried to love Cormac as much as I love Mor and Aedion but 1.) I don't love him that much (or at all) and 2.) Ruhn. That's all. But I have hopes of at least keeping the bisexual streak going, we've still got books left, after all.
THE PLOT:
Unpopular opinion but making the human rebellion with very understandable goals and wishes out to be the bad guys alongside the Asteri (who are just straight up villains) is a really dumb idea.
I already didn't understand why we were against this rebellion in the first book because, yes, a lot of our cast is non-human but Bryce at least is half-human and has human parents, and, as a fellow human, I find it hard to get invested in a plot that makes the oppressed humans out to be the bad ones.
Especially Pippa is such a cheap, two-dimensional character and I really had to suspend my beliefs and focus on the actually enjoyable parts of the book (mainly the characters) to accept all these plot points.
We do have some nice world building and it is something completely different to what SJM has done before and it's a nice mix of sci-fi and fantasy plots. We get a bit of a crossover with another series of hers and loads of hints towards ACOTAR and TOG and it was so fun reading those!
I'm thrilled to see how those more fantasy-ish plotlines will develop, so even if I didn't really like the rebellion plot, there were still other nice storylines.
THE REP:
I can't even be bothered with the SJM antis anymore because I know they'll complain no matter what she puts into her books or not. There's so much LGBT+ rep in this and also a lot of those couples have one or two characters that are POC. It isn't made into a big deal, there aren't any cringe coming out scenes, it's honestly so refreshing and nice to see and we finally get our sapphic witches rep. So please, just give her a chance, she's really come a long way since TOG and there's no reason to still keep hating on her when we're not criticising other authors of the era like Kiera Cass.
CONCL:
I rarely read long-ass fantasy novels anymore but I'm so glad I continued reading this series! It was way easier to get into it than it was with the first book and I really enjoyed the novel.
Of course, the last chapter was amazing (post-credit scene vibes) and I hope it won't take me another three years to get to the next book.
Okay, so this book was long and so full of plot and I'm sure I've already forgotten all of it but let's try this:
THE CHARACTERS:
I absolutely loved the cast in this sequel and while the first book was very much a "Bryce and Hunt" novel, this time the big amount of characters we got introduced to in the first book all got their moments to shine and either already had good storylines or we got hints to exciting ones in the future (Ithan, I'm looking at you).
In my opinion, this is the first time SJM has managed to write true morally grey characters (and not just misunderstood bad boys), mainly with Corman and Tharion, who make wild choices, whose purpose isn't solely to make this a better world. Same goes for so many of the female characters, my favourites being Lidia and Celestina. They have their own difficult past and present situations to work with and can't just accept anything that Bryce plans for them.
Bryce really isn't a perfect angel either — she makes really dumb choices in this book but they're also very human choices. She's just getting into this whole Chosen One thing and she really struggles with it and its consequences at times. But as I said, her choices are all understandable (to some degree), you can tell that she only means the best but sometimes we all fuck up and that's portrayed really well here.
Shoutout to Hunt here, who's always portrayed as this big alphahole, but man actually thinks from time to time and questions what Bryce and him are doing. Men in this fantasy thinking over their relationship? In this economy? More likely than you think.
Going against all expectations (mainly my own), I've chosen to break my streak of my favourite character in SJM books always being the bisexual blonde cousin. I really tried to love Cormac as much as I love Mor and Aedion but 1.) I don't love him that much (or at all) and 2.) Ruhn. That's all. But I have hopes of at least keeping the bisexual streak going, we've still got books left, after all.
THE PLOT:
Unpopular opinion but making the human rebellion with very understandable goals and wishes out to be the bad guys alongside the Asteri (who are just straight up villains) is a really dumb idea.
I already didn't understand why we were against this rebellion in the first book because, yes, a lot of our cast is non-human but Bryce at least is half-human and has human parents, and, as a fellow human, I find it hard to get invested in a plot that makes the oppressed humans out to be the bad ones.
Especially Pippa is such a cheap, two-dimensional character and I really had to suspend my beliefs and focus on the actually enjoyable parts of the book (mainly the characters) to accept all these plot points.
We do have some nice world building and it is something completely different to what SJM has done before and it's a nice mix of sci-fi and fantasy plots. We get a bit of a crossover with another series of hers and loads of hints towards ACOTAR and TOG and it was so fun reading those!
I'm thrilled to see how those more fantasy-ish plotlines will develop, so even if I didn't really like the rebellion plot, there were still other nice storylines.
THE REP:
I can't even be bothered with the SJM antis anymore because I know they'll complain no matter what she puts into her books or not. There's so much LGBT+ rep in this and also a lot of those couples have one or two characters that are POC. It isn't made into a big deal, there aren't any cringe coming out scenes, it's honestly so refreshing and nice to see and we finally get our sapphic witches rep. So please, just give her a chance, she's really come a long way since TOG and there's no reason to still keep hating on her when we're not criticising other authors of the era like Kiera Cass.
CONCL:
I rarely read long-ass fantasy novels anymore but I'm so glad I continued reading this series! It was way easier to get into it than it was with the first book and I really enjoyed the novel.
Of course, the last chapter was amazing (post-credit scene vibes) and I hope it won't take me another three years to get to the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Slavery, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and War
Minor: Xenophobia and Torture
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I need some time to process this. Holy shit. I’ve never read 700 pages so fast in my life. I have so many questions. My heart, in pieces. My brain, on the wall. My soul, well…
5 stars. Can’t wait for the next one. SJM if you fumble this as hard as ACOSF I will never recover.
5 stars. Can’t wait for the next one. SJM if you fumble this as hard as ACOSF I will never recover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, War, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, and Gaslighting
pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Gore, and Torture
molly_love's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
OMG, this thing must have been sent to me from the heavens. I would give up my soul to be able to read this book for the first time again. I just cant really explain it, it drew me in, it kept me interested, waiting for the build up, the problem the everything was done so well Its just amazing I cant believe I have to wait for the third book.
This book should be written in the history books all over the world.
This book should be written in the history books all over the world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and War
Minor: Murder, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Slavery, Stalking, and Suicide
erkietheturkey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Misogyny, Blood, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Classism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, War, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
datskira's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Gun violence, Cursing, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Death, Sexual content, Torture, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Physical abuse
helloimjacq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-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
5.0
I didn’t love the second book as much as the first one, but this was still a 5 star read. The story was a bit slow for this book, and I want to say this was more of a filler book (sets the story up perfectly for the next book though). There was a lot of character growth and you get to know some new characters as well. It’s a long book so come prepared (took me a week which is pretty slow for me). The ending was definitely worth it though! I need the third book now please!!!
Just a side note, if you haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I highly recommend reading that series before this book to better understand Sarah’s writing style as well as certain themes/nuances. I would say it’s not 100% necessary but it’s the best way to familiarize yourself with certain aspects present in her worlds (overall it makes the breakdown of this series much more interesting).
Just a side note, if you haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I highly recommend reading that series before this book to better understand Sarah’s writing style as well as certain themes/nuances. I would say it’s not 100% necessary but it’s the best way to familiarize yourself with certain aspects present in her worlds (overall it makes the breakdown of this series much more interesting).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Murder, Classism, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Gun violence
Minor: Torture, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Classism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Rape
alite428's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
doubletherazzle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
No star rating yet because I’m indecisive and still processing, and this long rambling review is my external processing.
TLDR: lots of plot, cliffhanger, interesting world building, but characters and relationships seemed to lack the depth that I’ve come to expect and love from SJM’s writing. Minor spoilers below, but all marked.
I freaked out at the ending (obviously), although I’m not really sure how to feel about it after the initial shock. I’m having a hard time trying to understand how the twist will play into the plots going forward. Concerns aside, I love the world building. I wasn’t sure I would like the urban fantasy setting of this series, but I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the diversity of the setting.
This series does seem to follow a patternof ‘get attached to this new character JK TRAGEDY’ and in CC1 it was a great plot twist. In this one it felt more… predictable and not as important to the plot as I feel like I should’ve been. I read in a few days, so I feel I like I didn’t notice the shift from primary plot point A, to what became the main plot for the second half of the book. I’m starting to feel like this should’ve been two books for all the plot developments, which come at the cost of losing to some in-depth character showcasing and some loose ends floating around.
Hunt and Bryce seemed rushed at points. I missed you the emotional depth in CC1 - seeing Hunt grapple with his own violence, Bryce trying to get through grief and growing up… both character seemed more flat now that sex is apparently their biggest relationship marker. I normally am a sucker forthe mate-trope, but I felt surprised by the reveal of it here. Not because I didn’t expect it, but it just seemed very casual, and their relationship didn’t seem like it had that gravity yet. I felt like I needed more of a slow burn, or at least more exploration of them getting to know each other.
In the same vein, I was craving much more frombraxian for character development and hunt to deal with the feelings and conflicts braxians presence brings, and I never got it. Instead, we got quick-fire plot and character development in one scene and all defined by Danika. There could’ve been so much more (which was hinted at, but never capitalized on).
I liked the bit of insight into the politics of the the various courts of power, but they’re all pretty much the same, and probably the only aspect of the world building that I feel needs to be amped (all people in power=bad and manipulative, and all major players feel trapped by their home courts). I do, however, appreciate the attempt at a grittier reality of war, ignorance (“there is no war in ba sing se”), extremism on both sides, and that this series isn’t blindly copying the “dreamers” motif from ACOTAR. But, I don’t feel that these ethical quandaries are actually something the characters are grappling with (except Ruhn and maybe Ithan), and I’m still wondering howCormac ended up involved in rebellion and I want to like Tharion, but he’s kinda an idiot? and somehow hypaxia’s fascinating story is only briefly brought to light here and there.
Will of course read the next one, and will probably have to re-read these before then, because I had already forgotten plot points in the two months between reading CC1 and CC2, but ACOTAR 1-4 remains my favorite series from SJM.
TLDR: lots of plot, cliffhanger, interesting world building, but characters and relationships seemed to lack the depth that I’ve come to expect and love from SJM’s writing. Minor spoilers below, but all marked.
I freaked out at the ending (obviously), although I’m not really sure how to feel about it after the initial shock. I’m having a hard time trying to understand how the twist will play into the plots going forward. Concerns aside, I love the world building. I wasn’t sure I would like the urban fantasy setting of this series, but I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed the diversity of the setting.
This series does seem to follow a pattern
Hunt and Bryce seemed rushed at points. I missed you the emotional depth in CC1 - seeing Hunt grapple with his own violence, Bryce trying to get through grief and growing up… both character seemed more flat now that sex is apparently their biggest relationship marker. I normally am a sucker for
In the same vein, I was craving much more from
I liked the bit of insight into the politics of the the various courts of power, but they’re all pretty much the same, and probably the only aspect of the world building that I feel needs to be amped (all people in power=bad and manipulative, and all major players feel trapped by their home courts). I do, however, appreciate the attempt at a grittier reality of war, ignorance (“there is no war in ba sing se”), extremism on both sides, and that this series isn’t blindly copying the “dreamers” motif from ACOTAR. But, I don’t feel that these ethical quandaries are actually something the characters are grappling with (except Ruhn and maybe Ithan), and I’m still wondering how
Will of course read the next one, and will probably have to re-read these before then, because I had already forgotten plot points in the two months between reading CC1 and CC2, but ACOTAR 1-4 remains my favorite series from SJM.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Classism