A review by rodanoar
The Seventh Daughter by Allan Frewin Jones

3.5

For the first time, I felt like this was truly a YA series. Maybe because the plot became denser

(especially with a war going on)

, the pacing felt a whole lot better, the stakes felt higher, and you could see struggle and consequences being part of the characters' lives.

I was truly surprised and, in a way, happy to see Zara die.

Don’t get me wrong, the sisters have been showing more of their personalities, and I am loving getting to know them better and seeing how brave they are (iconic, to be honest, to see female characters thrive without being compared to male ones),

but I was afraid that the author was going to do a "magically brings back to life" kind of situation to her, and I was glad that they didn't overshadow her sacrifice with that cliché.

I loved seeing more about Faerie's creatures too, and maybe it's the world setting that helped this book have a higher ranking when compared to its brothers. Not just because of the plot, but the world-building, to me, disguised as a quest, was richer and more enveloping.

And some clichés are meant to be embraced, like Cordelia and Bryn, okay? I will take the blow and say it was predictable and insta-love-y BUT I DON'T CARE, THEY MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE YET-TO-BE COUPLE. Oh, and I was right about Tania's Earth parents coming to Faerie. So curious to see an adult couple go delirious and hysterical, to be honest.

But I still feel like a lot of things were convenient, and I have the ghost of the shallowness of the first book going around some decisions. The dialogue, especially with modern characters like Tania and Edric, is borderline cringy (but part of the times, I get that) and it just sucks the life out of me, you know?

And Rathina, what the hell, darling? Gabriel murdered loads of people, but you still loved him… It had to be your sister for you to see all the red flags, like… No, I want a better redemption arc for her or not one at all!