A review by indecisivesailorscout
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik

3.0

Despite the potential that Cat had, and the delicious chemistry between her & Alex, this was to me the weakest book in the trilogy. We went from 0 to 60 with the plot WAY too fast for comfort, with not nearly enough buildup in this or the previous books to sell such a massive jump in scale. I had a hard time keeping up with the stakes that felt impossibly high while simultaneously too easy for them to overcome. I would've liked to see a more natural progression forward with the war between the rival houses and a sneakier coup by the hidden villains rather than the overconfident, chaotic mess they created instead. It wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, and that is a disappointment. However, the characters remain as strong as ever, with Cat proving herself to be a solid lead in her own right, finding a wonderful match with Alex, and being lifted up by the excellence of Aoife and Ying by their respective sides. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Jessie has next for this universe she's brought to life.