aspiringcowboy 's review for:

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

3.0

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wavering between 2.5 and 3. though this is a lot more cohesive re: worldbuilding and lore than book one, but the characters are really dragging it down; at this point, i'm really only interested in hypnos and enrique. i'm not personally a fan of how zofia's autism is portrayed (it feels too stereotypical at times) and there are some instances of SA in this book that i think aren't properly handled

Spoiler

there was no need for eva to kiss séverin to save his life? it felt forced and little more than an attempt to further the hostility between eva and laila, which i found digusting. also seemed kind of out of character for séverin to participate in the blood forging and then proceed to be intimate with eva-disguised-as-laila; my presumption is eva drugged him without his consent, but i don't think that was ever made clear. regardless, i think it was mishandled, especially with séverin and laila hooking up AFTER he was assaulted.

. i'll admit that there's some well-choreographed reveals in this book, though, and i DO want to see it through to the end. i'd just be a lot more invested if more of the characters were compelling.