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kylarenea_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual assault, Torture, Colonisation, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, War, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
maggies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wowowow, what a great follow-up to CC#1. Totally devoured this book and I don't want to wait until 2024 for the third!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, War, and Murder
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
karly_ackley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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: Death and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, War, and Violence
jpfortmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Cursing, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Slavery
cakrolik's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Classism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Torture, Alcohol, Death, Slavery, Blood, Violence, and War
mjscooke's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
SJM really knows how to write a third act! I definitely enjoyed the latter section of the book; it’s worth preserving through the slower earlier chapters. Overall it’s a solid fantasy novel with quest and rebellion threads and a lot a spicy scenes (honestly a bit much for me but totally on brand for SJM from what I can tell)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Stalking, and War
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
hannaws's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
3.5
“Bryce smiled sweetly at Cormac. “I get that you want to play Broody Prince, but don’t ever fucking interrupt me again.”
I pretty much expected to love this book. But no, this landed in the okay category. I mean, this did not need to be 800 pages long, right? I cannot be the only one thinking that.
The majority of that 800+ pages gets very repetitive and I nearly lost all my interest to pick this book up anymore. It started strong! New archangels and triarii members, some surprising ones you definitely were not waiting to be working together with. And then all that is pushed in the back burner while everyone keeps on doing detective work in the same pattern, just different things to investigate.
I still very much love the characters. Hunt and Ruhn the most. Add Baxian to that list too! So Dear Sarah, please stop making me fall in love with your characters if you're only going to hurt me. I apparently haven't still learned anything from reading her books, do not get attached to anyone.
Kidding, I love the emotional rollercoasters that her books have. You never know if you can fully trust to anyone, or if anyone is even going to survive.
And from there we get to the book's surprise factories, where they good? Ruhn is working as a contact person to the Ophion rebels. He has a way to contact their informant, Agent Daybright. She is veiled in fire through the whole book, until the last chapters. But I guessed it immediately, I just knew it! No surprises there. I just hoped it would have ended with a different note, you know.
The whole book seemed to be full of secrets getting revealed, secrets that shouldn't have been secrets, considering whom kept them from whom. That got a little too much. There comes a point when you are just reading whilst your mind goes "oh, see. This shall reveal to be another one of certain someone's kept secrets." the point of all the detective work pretty much vanishes right there. Everything is just one big secret!
The ending. WHO ENDS THEIR BOOK LIKE THAT?! LIKE, NO SARAH. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! I would have appeared into the other Queens world to get help but that is not the point. You just can not drop a bomb like that and then be like "oh well. See you all in two years!". Like what?! You think you can leave me with a huge cliffhanger and make me wait for two years?! Darn it.
All in all I do the characters. I do love the relationships they all have. The book was good but just too long. And I do not want to read anyone driving their cock anywhere in a while, or balls tightening, okay? I like smut in my books but this is just something else.
I pretty much expected to love this book. But no, this landed in the okay category. I mean, this did not need to be 800 pages long, right? I cannot be the only one thinking that.
The majority of that 800+ pages gets very repetitive and I nearly lost all my interest to pick this book up anymore. It started strong! New archangels and triarii members, some surprising ones you definitely were not waiting to be working together with. And then all that is pushed in the back burner while everyone keeps on doing detective work in the same pattern, just different things to investigate.
I still very much love the characters. Hunt and Ruhn the most. Add Baxian to that list too! So Dear Sarah, please stop making me fall in love with your characters if you're only going to hurt me. I apparently haven't still learned anything from reading her books, do not get attached to anyone.
Kidding, I love the emotional rollercoasters that her books have. You never know if you can fully trust to anyone, or if anyone is even going to survive.
And from there we get to the book's surprise factories, where they good? Ruhn is working as a contact person to the Ophion rebels. He has a way to contact their informant, Agent Daybright. She is veiled in fire through the whole book, until the last chapters. But I guessed it immediately, I just knew it! No surprises there. I just hoped it would have ended with a different note, you know.
The whole book seemed to be full of secrets getting revealed, secrets that shouldn't have been secrets, considering whom kept them from whom. That got a little too much. There comes a point when you are just reading whilst your mind goes "oh, see. This shall reveal to be another one of certain someone's kept secrets." the point of all the detective work pretty much vanishes right there. Everything is just one big secret!
The ending. WHO ENDS THEIR BOOK LIKE THAT?! LIKE, NO SARAH. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! I would have appeared into the other Queens world to get help but that is not the point. You just can not drop a bomb like that and then be like "oh well. See you all in two years!". Like what?! You think you can leave me with a huge cliffhanger and make me wait for two years?! Darn it.
All in all I do the characters. I do love the relationships they all have. The book was good but just too long. And I do not want to read anyone driving their cock anywhere in a while, or balls tightening, okay? I like smut in my books but this is just something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: War, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault
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