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A review by caitsreadingcorner
A Strange Hymn by Laura Thalassa
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I will continue reading this series to find out what happened but this book was a bit underwhelming. Maybe I just really enjoyed the flashbacks in the first book, it gave more insight into Des and Callie and their dynamics and how they have grown and changed over the years. I almost feel like their personalities are too similar?? Nothing against two darker, more sinful and villain driven characters but it almost makes their relationship feel more flat.
Also, I found some of Callie’s internal dialogue in this book to be a bit cringe. She’s supposed to be 23? 24?? I honestly think she could have been older in the first book and be in her later twenties by now but I guess that’s why she’s still a bit immature in her thinking. I feel like the plot of this one is a bit messier but I’m still hopeful those holes will be filled in the remaining books. Felt like there were a lot of random turns and characters brought into the mystery piece of this book.
I just need for it to all lead somewhere and not feel like an afterthought. I think the pace between building out the thief of souls storyline and the spicier scenes could be a bit better….maybe that’s because most of the world building has already been done but they have circled around some of the same problems and questions from the first book so I expected more development. At the very least, at least we’re learning more about Des. Conflicted on this one but was compelling enough to finish.
Also, I found some of Callie’s internal dialogue in this book to be a bit cringe. She’s supposed to be 23? 24?? I honestly think she could have been older in the first book and be in her later twenties by now but I guess that’s why she’s still a bit immature in her thinking. I feel like the plot of this one is a bit messier but I’m still hopeful those holes will be filled in the remaining books. Felt like there were a lot of random turns and characters brought into the mystery piece of this book.
I just need for it to all lead somewhere and not feel like an afterthought. I think the pace between building out the thief of souls storyline and the spicier scenes could be a bit better….maybe that’s because most of the world building has already been done but they have circled around some of the same problems and questions from the first book so I expected more development. At the very least, at least we’re learning more about Des. Conflicted on this one but was compelling enough to finish.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Violence