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A review by morgarelibrare
Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill
3.0
(3.5 Stars)
Ever the Brave picks up not long after the cliffhanger ending that Ever the Hunted so graciously delivered, delving right back into the fantasy world of kingdoms and magic.
One new aspect this book delivers is multiple points of view. In Ever the Hunted, we were only ever in Britta’s head, living her thoughts and feelings and experiences. In Ever the Brave, we stay with Britta, but we also get to do a deep dive into the inner thoughts of both Cohen and the young King Aodren. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this initially, but once I started getting into the meat of the story, I was appreciative for the multiple POVs. It really helped with the pacing, and moving around within the world, allowing the reader to be aware of what’s happening in each thread of the story.
The ending of book one left Britta untethered from her love Cohen, and with a new connection to King Aodren. This was a major plot point that was explored throughout the novel and it mostly just aggravated me because it meant the introduction of a love triangle, which is my least favorite trope to read about. The King as a person also kind of bothered me. It was good to get to read his POV because it really showed who he was a person and solidified my dislike for certain aspects of his personality and attitude. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that his disrespect for Britta’s relationship with Cohen was a little unnerving and he basically felt like because they weren’t married, she was fair game, regardless of how she felt. He was still interesting to read about, and definitely grew as a character throughout the story after being faced with challenging situations, which lead to me liking him more in the end.
That being said, Cohen is also a flawed character, but that also makes him interesting to read about, and leaves room for development. He was definitely overbearing at times and over protective, and both he and Britta have a penchant for miscommunication (my other least favorite trope) so it was a little difficult to get through certain aspects of the novel. Mostly though, he is sweet and caring and loyal and will do anything to keep his family and Britta safe. His journey leads him to learn to overcome his insecurities, which ultimately aides in fixing the overbearing behavior.
Britta continued to be a fun main character. She’s still awesome with a bow, and she’s still fierce, but she also grows beyond what she was in book one. She’s often faced with hard choices, especially after being delivered shocking news about the mother she thought to be dead, but in the end she perseveres and comes out stronger. I think my favorite aspect of Britta’s character is her want to just live quietly in her cottage with Cohen, and have no one bother her ever, because I definitely relate. While saving the world and stopping evil appears to be in her channeler blood, being an introverted couch potato is clearly in her heart, and I like that about her.
Overall, the world is a fun one to visit, and the plot is interesting and a much faster pace than book one. The character growth and values they learn to embrace is helpful in combating the love triangle that frustrated me to no end. I really enjoyed this sequel and was definitely happy with the way it ended.
*Thank you to HMH and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Ever the Brave picks up not long after the cliffhanger ending that Ever the Hunted so graciously delivered, delving right back into the fantasy world of kingdoms and magic.
One new aspect this book delivers is multiple points of view. In Ever the Hunted, we were only ever in Britta’s head, living her thoughts and feelings and experiences. In Ever the Brave, we stay with Britta, but we also get to do a deep dive into the inner thoughts of both Cohen and the young King Aodren. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this initially, but once I started getting into the meat of the story, I was appreciative for the multiple POVs. It really helped with the pacing, and moving around within the world, allowing the reader to be aware of what’s happening in each thread of the story.
The ending of book one left Britta untethered from her love Cohen, and with a new connection to King Aodren. This was a major plot point that was explored throughout the novel and it mostly just aggravated me because it meant the introduction of a love triangle, which is my least favorite trope to read about. The King as a person also kind of bothered me. It was good to get to read his POV because it really showed who he was a person and solidified my dislike for certain aspects of his personality and attitude. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that his disrespect for Britta’s relationship with Cohen was a little unnerving and he basically felt like because they weren’t married, she was fair game, regardless of how she felt. He was still interesting to read about, and definitely grew as a character throughout the story after being faced with challenging situations, which lead to me liking him more in the end.
That being said, Cohen is also a flawed character, but that also makes him interesting to read about, and leaves room for development. He was definitely overbearing at times and over protective, and both he and Britta have a penchant for miscommunication (my other least favorite trope) so it was a little difficult to get through certain aspects of the novel. Mostly though, he is sweet and caring and loyal and will do anything to keep his family and Britta safe. His journey leads him to learn to overcome his insecurities, which ultimately aides in fixing the overbearing behavior.
Britta continued to be a fun main character. She’s still awesome with a bow, and she’s still fierce, but she also grows beyond what she was in book one. She’s often faced with hard choices, especially after being delivered shocking news about the mother she thought to be dead, but in the end she perseveres and comes out stronger. I think my favorite aspect of Britta’s character is her want to just live quietly in her cottage with Cohen, and have no one bother her ever, because I definitely relate. While saving the world and stopping evil appears to be in her channeler blood, being an introverted couch potato is clearly in her heart, and I like that about her.
Overall, the world is a fun one to visit, and the plot is interesting and a much faster pace than book one. The character growth and values they learn to embrace is helpful in combating the love triangle that frustrated me to no end. I really enjoyed this sequel and was definitely happy with the way it ended.
*Thank you to HMH and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*