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A review by mycupoftealcsw
The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman
4.0
Definitely my least favorite of the series so far but still solidly enjoyable. There was just way too much of characters I didn't care anything about (and it took me almost ⅔ of the book to even be able to differentiate most of them). The premise is good - stupidly rich individual who likes to play puppet master and make people play dangerous games for his own amusement and benefit forces Irene and Kai to work with suspiciously chosen others to accomplish a near impossible task. It did drag a bit, however, in the first half. The second half definitely redeemed it though.
I really liked that we got more from Kai’s perspective in this one. Most of what we know about him is from Irene’s observations and beliefs so it was nice to see his POV. I also appreciate that we continue to get more about this world and its politics. I really like the dynamics between Kai and Irene - they prioritize their friendship and don’t treat each other like sex dolls just because they are hooking up now (looking at you nearly every other adult fantasy book on the market now). They also value each other’s skills and balance each other out in both abilities and temperament.
We also finally get to see Irene with her parents which adds more depth to her character and gives us more info in the larger mystery.
I feel like I almost need a spreadsheet of who's hiding and plotting what and what that would mean for the bigger world at this point. I’m not mad about it though.
I really liked that we got more from Kai’s perspective in this one. Most of what we know about him is from Irene’s observations and beliefs so it was nice to see his POV. I also appreciate that we continue to get more about this world and its politics. I really like the dynamics between Kai and Irene - they prioritize their friendship and don’t treat each other like sex dolls just because they are hooking up now (looking at you nearly every other adult fantasy book on the market now). They also value each other’s skills and balance each other out in both abilities and temperament.
We also finally get to see Irene with her parents which adds more depth to her character and gives us more info in the larger mystery.
I feel like I almost need a spreadsheet of who's hiding and plotting what and what that would mean for the bigger world at this point. I’m not mad about it though.