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A review by kentanapages
The Fractured Dark by Megan E. O'Keefe
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.0
I burned through this second book in the series so fast I didn't realize how long it was until checking my StoryGraph stats afterwards.. it's long! I went into this already in love with the characters and very invested in them and their cause, heartbroken over part of the ending of book 1, and eager to see what happens.
And it delivered!
Having the relationship between the two MCs "reset" the way it did actually allowed for some of the playful banter that was so fun through book one to start over and happen again; I thought I might find this tedious, and there were moments when I was like OMG STOP WITH THE ANGST but overall it was mostly just engaging and kept me reading.
The plot was wild! There was political intrigue, backstabbing, espionage... the majority of the book things were quite tense, and it felt propulsive. I had to keep reading, even if I was stressed about some part. However there were also these moments of levity and of joy that really helped.
I did NOT expect the ending, really the last 25% had one major reveal after another, and I was hooked. A few parts felt a bit like I had to suspend disbelief more than usual, but I just made the choice to be onboard.
I didnt' love this book as much as the first, but I also recognize how hard middle books in a trilogy are; this book bridged the gap while not having really any long sections that were boring or dragged on too long (for me, at least).
I am very much looking forward to the last book, and impressed that they're coming out back to back to back like this! You're going to spoil us SFF trilogy fans :)
And it delivered!
Having the relationship between the two MCs "reset" the way it did actually allowed for some of the playful banter that was so fun through book one to start over and happen again; I thought I might find this tedious, and there were moments when I was like OMG STOP WITH THE ANGST but overall it was mostly just engaging and kept me reading.
The plot was wild! There was political intrigue, backstabbing, espionage... the majority of the book things were quite tense, and it felt propulsive. I had to keep reading, even if I was stressed about some part. However there were also these moments of levity and of joy that really helped.
I did NOT expect the ending, really the last 25% had one major reveal after another, and I was hooked. A few parts felt a bit like I had to suspend disbelief more than usual, but I just made the choice to be onboard.
I didnt' love this book as much as the first, but I also recognize how hard middle books in a trilogy are; this book bridged the gap while not having really any long sections that were boring or dragged on too long (for me, at least).
I am very much looking forward to the last book, and impressed that they're coming out back to back to back like this! You're going to spoil us SFF trilogy fans :)