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h_scharff's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
cocoloco426's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sntaylor825's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
teresanagle's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
monicaokta's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mriva005's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
candiecane333's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Thought it dragged, the big secret was a little anticlimactic, the ending felt rushed & incomplete.
ginggercakes's review
3.0
A generous 3 STAR / just off the cusp of 2.5
TW: mentioned suicide attempt, death
I wasn’t as invested in the storyline as I wanted to be, after the first book I hoped that the flow of the story would jump into action but it was still pretty slow. I stuck with it because I wanted to know how everything came together in the end. The twists and turns didn’t thrill me as much as I hoped, and aforementioned characters reappearing didn’t wow me the way it could have. Even the magic seemed to take a back seat in this one, when I really thought were were going to get a lot more information from it. But since this story is in our MC’s POV we only know what she knows and that isn't much. One thing I couldn’t stand was some of the MC’s inner dialogue. Her obsession with herself, and her childish actions and thoughts were in such contrast to her alleged desire to be seen as an adult and to be taken seriously. I’d like to say it made her more human, more relatable, but it rubbed me the wrong way and made her seem so annoying.
Once again I was a little at odds with our main characters - especially after the first book: I wanted them to gain depth and grow emotionally and it still felt like they only had surface level emotions - until they didn’t. A little disappointing, especially since I thought they took some steps towards character growth in the first book only to be tossed away to maintain the blissfully ignorant and boring characters premise they had in the beginning. The relationship between the two MCs is palpable - there is some romantic tension, a little push and pull but there just isn't enough to make me want to cheer for them - they are consistently warm and cold with each other well into this second book. It was fine at the beginning, and even acceptable for the first book as a whole, but this far into the story it was so boring.
The story kicked it up a notch around 75% of the way through - too long to wait in my opinion. The pace picked up and although there was a lot of back and forth with our MC, things started to look like we were finally getting somewhere. The ending wasn’t as exciting as it could have been, I’d even call it a soft ending. I liked it enough that I didn’t DNF, but I wish we’d been offered more information and closure; story came to a close in such a simple manner. It took all the tension, suspense and emptions that author tried to build up and then just let it slip through its fingers. Yes everything was essentially figured out by the end - but it was a boring and cheap way to do it.
TW: mentioned suicide attempt, death
”Everything seems to turn out just fine for you, Joss. You’re a privileged princess, no matter who your father is. Some people don’t have as many choices or as many chances as you seem to get. You don’t know what it’s like to be someone like me.”
I wasn’t as invested in the storyline as I wanted to be, after the first book I hoped that the flow of the story would jump into action but it was still pretty slow. I stuck with it because I wanted to know how everything came together in the end. The twists and turns didn’t thrill me as much as I hoped, and aforementioned characters reappearing didn’t wow me the way it could have. Even the magic seemed to take a back seat in this one, when I really thought were were going to get a lot more information from it. But since this story is in our MC’s POV we only know what she knows and that isn't much. One thing I couldn’t stand was some of the MC’s inner dialogue. Her obsession with herself, and her childish actions and thoughts were in such contrast to her alleged desire to be seen as an adult and to be taken seriously. I’d like to say it made her more human, more relatable, but it rubbed me the wrong way and made her seem so annoying.
I hated doubting myself. It was so unlike me - and really wasn’t cute at all
Once again I was a little at odds with our main characters - especially after the first book: I wanted them to gain depth and grow emotionally and it still felt like they only had surface level emotions - until they didn’t. A little disappointing, especially since I thought they took some steps towards character growth in the first book only to be tossed away to maintain the blissfully ignorant and boring characters premise they had in the beginning. The relationship between the two MCs is palpable - there is some romantic tension, a little push and pull but there just isn't enough to make me want to cheer for them - they are consistently warm and cold with each other well into this second book. It was fine at the beginning, and even acceptable for the first book as a whole, but this far into the story it was so boring.
”Trust me on this, the truth rarely provides anything but pain, and it should be taken in very small doses for those with a low tolerance for it.”
The story kicked it up a notch around 75% of the way through - too long to wait in my opinion. The pace picked up and although there was a lot of back and forth with our MC, things started to look like we were finally getting somewhere. The ending wasn’t as exciting as it could have been, I’d even call it a soft ending. I liked it enough that I didn’t DNF, but I wish we’d been offered more information and closure; story came to a close in such a simple manner. It took all the tension, suspense and emptions that author tried to build up and then just let it slip through its fingers. Yes everything was essentially figured out by the end - but it was a boring and cheap way to do it.
dontmissythesereads's review against another edition
4.5
Book #106 read in 2023
This was such an anticipated read for me because the first book, Echoes and Empires, left us hanging. It was great to catch up with the characters and see the story progress through more action and secret reveals. I loved it!
Thank you to Penguin Group Young Readers and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook.
This was such an anticipated read for me because the first book, Echoes and Empires, left us hanging. It was great to catch up with the characters and see the story progress through more action and secret reveals. I loved it!
Thank you to Penguin Group Young Readers and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook.