Scan barcode
softasapanda's review
I started it immediately after the first one, which I enjoyed a lot, and yet suddenly I didn't care about the story. It's too slow, Eliana is too annoying and pig-headed, and Rielle is suddenly irritating as well.
ruth_bookdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
huffleclawbookie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
courtney_saba's review against another edition
3.0
This book is so hard for me to rate. Some parts are 1 star and other parts could be considered 5 stars. So, to even it out and because I despise our two main female characters, I'm giving this book 3 stars.
I skimmed the entire book. I stopped where I needed to and read all the dialogue, but I skipped over a BUNCH of action and whining and descriptions. I honestly think this trilogy would've worked as a duology. It's entirely too long.
God, the level of dislike I have for Rielle and, at a lower level, Eliana. We already know Rielle's end. So it's just a loooooooooooong waiting game for her at this point. She's arrogant, impulsive, tempermental, has a severe superiority complex, and she's a liar. She thinks she's a god with limitless power who should be loved and adored by all and believes that an evil fucking angel who kills and manipulates everything in his path actually loves her for her, not her power and not what she could do for him. *cue eye roll* Are you fucking stupid, Rielle? I swear to god. The things both Rielle and Eliana share are their utter stupidity and naivety. Rielle: "oh, poor me. I'm not human, I'm a god and I should be loved unequivocally and given free reign to do whatever I want because I'm the Sun Queen and I should be worshipped. Oh, no, they hate me! Corien, comfort me, angelpants, but don't kiss me because even though I want your dick, it's so wrong (but so right, kiss me). No! Go away! (Oh, come back, Corypoo). No! You're evil. (Oh, he loves me for me, he's just misunderstood). Go away, Corien! (But stay close to me)." JESUS EFFING CHRIST I CAN'T TOLERATE HER ANYMORE. I WANT TO STRANGLE HER AND LOCK HER AWAY WITH A FREAKING CRUCIATA FOR THE REST OF HER DAYS. Please, trust me when I say that even though what I wrote above is exaggeration, hyperbole, and humor-filled, it's 100% what I experienced in 600 pages. I can't make this shit up.
Eliana: she makes me angry because she's a blatant coward. The first half of this book made me hate her. She was a coward in Furyborn too, but I expected her to learn, step the fuck up, and mature a little in a time of war. She's got magic on her side! She can control it without castings as long as she actually puts work into it. Does she think it'll just come naturally to her in a day? Stupid. It took Rielle 18 years to master her powers! Even though now she's a Mary Sue who's great at anything, but still. Eliana was better in the second half, but her stubborness was irritating at times.
I think that's what ruined this story for me: the unforgivable stupidity and immaturity of Rielle and Eliana. I kept expecting them to be smart, think intelligently and strategically, not allow people to get to them too severely, make sound decisions, THINK for God's sake, and realize that at the end of the day, there's a responsibility and a duty to having their powers that's for the good of all. I was expecting the absence of the childlike behaviors and the "please feel sorry for me, my life is so hard" attitude. I don't think I've ever despised characters so much. Maybe it's because the story is unique and compelling, with mature secondary characters and intelligent 12 and 13 year olds (props to Remy and Obritsa) that made our two main characters so unbearable, I don't know. I can't believe people actually love them in the book world. To each their own, I guess, but I'm done with both of them.
Corien and Simon are the only two characters that made this book enjoyable. Corien reminds me of Leigh Bardugo's Darkling from the Grishaverse. A lower version of him, since the Darkling is an utter powerhouse and unforgettable character. Corien is not the Darkling, but I didn't mind his characterization. He's insane and yet he's unbelievably strategic and here for the long game. He knows what he's doing. I love dark characters, especially when they end up corrupting a character that's supposed to be good. Along with the shameful feelings of lust that Rielle has for him. This book developed their toxic relationship a little more and I was all for it. I have to congratulate Corien for striking Rielle in all her vulnerable and weak places, at just the right time, no matter if he failed or succeeded at the time. He still got under her skin. Sometimes though, I feel like the author made him too unbelievably powerful with too much insight. Yes, he's ancient. Yes, he's super intelligent and strategic. But still. Why is he the strongest of the angel race with this much power? I just don't fully believe in him.
Simon. My darling Simon. He's my favorite character in this series, and he does not disappoint in this intallment. He's everything I wanted and more. I questioned his blind devotion in Furyborn, and boy, was I right! I added a full star for his story arc because it was brilliant and somewhat unexpected. Keeping this a spoiler-free review is extremely difficult because all I want to do is discuss Simon, but I'm going to be fair here. He's the definition of delight and deliciousness and I wouldn't change him one bit.
Now, the plot. It starts off somewhere, then became this meandering thing without much direction, for both Rielle and Eliana's chapters. The addition of certain characters' viewpoints was surprising and entertaining. It was nice to be out of Rielle and Eliana's head for a bit.
I will say this: after that cliffhanger, I'm excited to see what our demented and tortured characters will do next. Maybe they'll surprise me. Not gonna hold my breath though.
Would I re-read this book? I might skim the places I've bookmarked, but I'll probably never read this in its entirety again.
Would I recommend this? Truthfully, there are better books out there. But because of my love for Simon, I have to whisper a yes to this question while cringing. But only because of him and the need to see his character arc.
Was I entertained? Enough to pick up this book and read it, which was a chore in and of itself.
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends.
I skimmed the entire book. I stopped where I needed to and read all the dialogue, but I skipped over a BUNCH of action and whining and descriptions. I honestly think this trilogy would've worked as a duology. It's entirely too long.
God, the level of dislike I have for Rielle and, at a lower level, Eliana. We already know Rielle's end. So it's just a loooooooooooong waiting game for her at this point. She's arrogant, impulsive, tempermental, has a severe superiority complex, and she's a liar. She thinks she's a god with limitless power who should be loved and adored by all and believes that an evil fucking angel who kills and manipulates everything in his path actually loves her for her, not her power and not what she could do for him. *cue eye roll* Are you fucking stupid, Rielle? I swear to god. The things both Rielle and Eliana share are their utter stupidity and naivety. Rielle: "oh, poor me. I'm not human, I'm a god and I should be loved unequivocally and given free reign to do whatever I want because I'm the Sun Queen and I should be worshipped. Oh, no, they hate me! Corien, comfort me, angelpants, but don't kiss me because even though I want your dick, it's so wrong (but so right, kiss me). No! Go away! (Oh, come back, Corypoo). No! You're evil. (Oh, he loves me for me, he's just misunderstood). Go away, Corien! (But stay close to me)." JESUS EFFING CHRIST I CAN'T TOLERATE HER ANYMORE. I WANT TO STRANGLE HER AND LOCK HER AWAY WITH A FREAKING CRUCIATA FOR THE REST OF HER DAYS. Please, trust me when I say that even though what I wrote above is exaggeration, hyperbole, and humor-filled, it's 100% what I experienced in 600 pages. I can't make this shit up.
Eliana: she makes me angry because she's a blatant coward. The first half of this book made me hate her. She was a coward in Furyborn too, but I expected her to learn, step the fuck up, and mature a little in a time of war. She's got magic on her side! She can control it without castings as long as she actually puts work into it. Does she think it'll just come naturally to her in a day? Stupid. It took Rielle 18 years to master her powers! Even though now she's a Mary Sue who's great at anything, but still. Eliana was better in the second half, but her stubborness was irritating at times.
I think that's what ruined this story for me: the unforgivable stupidity and immaturity of Rielle and Eliana. I kept expecting them to be smart, think intelligently and strategically, not allow people to get to them too severely, make sound decisions, THINK for God's sake, and realize that at the end of the day, there's a responsibility and a duty to having their powers that's for the good of all. I was expecting the absence of the childlike behaviors and the "please feel sorry for me, my life is so hard" attitude. I don't think I've ever despised characters so much. Maybe it's because the story is unique and compelling, with mature secondary characters and intelligent 12 and 13 year olds (props to Remy and Obritsa) that made our two main characters so unbearable, I don't know. I can't believe people actually love them in the book world. To each their own, I guess, but I'm done with both of them.
Corien and Simon are the only two characters that made this book enjoyable. Corien reminds me of Leigh Bardugo's Darkling from the Grishaverse. A lower version of him, since the Darkling is an utter powerhouse and unforgettable character. Corien is not the Darkling, but I didn't mind his characterization. He's insane and yet he's unbelievably strategic and here for the long game. He knows what he's doing. I love dark characters, especially when they end up corrupting a character that's supposed to be good. Along with the shameful feelings of lust that Rielle has for him. This book developed their toxic relationship a little more and I was all for it. I have to congratulate Corien for striking Rielle in all her vulnerable and weak places, at just the right time, no matter if he failed or succeeded at the time. He still got under her skin. Sometimes though, I feel like the author made him too unbelievably powerful with too much insight. Yes, he's ancient. Yes, he's super intelligent and strategic. But still. Why is he the strongest of the angel race with this much power? I just don't fully believe in him.
Simon. My darling Simon. He's my favorite character in this series, and he does not disappoint in this intallment. He's everything I wanted and more. I questioned his blind devotion in Furyborn, and boy, was I right! I added a full star for his story arc because it was brilliant and somewhat unexpected. Keeping this a spoiler-free review is extremely difficult because all I want to do is discuss Simon, but I'm going to be fair here. He's the definition of delight and deliciousness and I wouldn't change him one bit.
Now, the plot. It starts off somewhere, then became this meandering thing without much direction, for both Rielle and Eliana's chapters. The addition of certain characters' viewpoints was surprising and entertaining. It was nice to be out of Rielle and Eliana's head for a bit.
I will say this: after that cliffhanger, I'm excited to see what our demented and tortured characters will do next. Maybe they'll surprise me. Not gonna hold my breath though.
Would I re-read this book? I might skim the places I've bookmarked, but I'll probably never read this in its entirety again.
Would I recommend this? Truthfully, there are better books out there. But because of my love for Simon, I have to whisper a yes to this question while cringing. But only because of him and the need to see his character arc.
Was I entertained? Enough to pick up this book and read it, which was a chore in and of itself.
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends.
kaylokay_'s review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Pacing in the beginning remains an issue but the relationship dynamics in this one straight up had me in a chokehold.
alchemizaak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Honestly I didn't know what to give this book at first. I think the thing that kept it from being a 3 star book for me was Eliana. She really saved the day with her parts of the story and though I liked her in the first book, this one really made me fall even more in love with her.
I also liked the different POVs that would occasionally pop up in this book, it made the story feel a bit more fleshed out and I enjoyed reading what other characters were doing and what they were thinking as the events of the book took place, and I feel like they were used sparingly enough that it didn't disrupt the flow from Rielle's and Eliana's POVs.
However, a big let down for me in this book was Rielle. Rielle was my favourite character in the first book. I found her to be fun and loving, her pride offset by how fiercely she loved and was loved. All of that got changed in this book, which I suppose was the intention.
But it wasn't done gracefully or tactfully in my opinion. Her pride makes her stupid, causing her to do dumb, idiotic thing after dumb, idiotic thing until it's hard to feel sympathy for her. And I feel like the author wants you to feel sympathy for her. I just didn't. She came across more like an entitled brat than anything. And don't get me wrong, I do love a bratty protag, but again it just comes back to how stupid her brattiness made her.
And I think I could've excused that, if not for the countless characters all around her, giving her endless amounts of love and acceptance and coddling here. Again, I understand that this was done purposefully, to show that she wasn't the monster from the stories and to show how easily people could just fall for someone like her. But there's a point where it stops being a tragic tale about her becoming a monster the world makes her be and the undying love of those who know she isn't, and it just becomes a story about everyone being infuriatingly stupid. The execution of her becoming the blood queen was not well done.
Corien is also equally as much of a brat as she is. Maybe I don't understand her downfall because I just cannot wrap my head around her undying lust for the most milquetoast villain alive. There's nothing sexy or hot about any of it. It didn't have the underlining power play that it did in the first book. Bland, that's all it is.
Again, Eliana saved the day in this book and I enjoyed her parts. I feel like there was a lot of pride in her character in the first part too, pride and love and a need to protect those around her just like Rielle. But Eliana's character thrives where Rielle's does not. Her pride and vanity are done with purpose, with an end goal, and her love is unwavering and true even when it hurts her most of all. Rielle's pride and vanity lacks direction, ambition, and purpose and above all else, that is what infuriates me.
This book left me debating on whether or not I want to finish the series, but with the Illumicrate special editions coming out, and my love for Eliana as well, I will finish it if for no other reason than to hope that Eliana can at least carry the third book.
I also liked the different POVs that would occasionally pop up in this book, it made the story feel a bit more fleshed out and I enjoyed reading what other characters were doing and what they were thinking as the events of the book took place, and I feel like they were used sparingly enough that it didn't disrupt the flow from Rielle's and Eliana's POVs.
However, a big let down for me in this book was Rielle. Rielle was my favourite character in the first book. I found her to be fun and loving, her pride offset by how fiercely she loved and was loved. All of that got changed in this book, which I suppose was the intention.
But it wasn't done gracefully or tactfully in my opinion. Her pride makes her stupid, causing her to do dumb, idiotic thing after dumb, idiotic thing until it's hard to feel sympathy for her. And I feel like the author wants you to feel sympathy for her. I just didn't. She came across more like an entitled brat than anything. And don't get me wrong, I do love a bratty protag, but again it just comes back to how stupid her brattiness made her.
And I think I could've excused that, if not for the countless characters all around her, giving her endless amounts of love and acceptance and coddling here. Again, I understand that this was done purposefully, to show that she wasn't the monster from the stories and to show how easily people could just fall for someone like her. But there's a point where it stops being a tragic tale about her becoming a monster the world makes her be and the undying love of those who know she isn't, and it just becomes a story about everyone being infuriatingly stupid. The execution of her becoming the blood queen was not well done.
Corien is also equally as much of a brat as she is. Maybe I don't understand her downfall because I just cannot wrap my head around her undying lust for the most milquetoast villain alive. There's nothing sexy or hot about any of it. It didn't have the underlining power play that it did in the first book. Bland, that's all it is.
Again, Eliana saved the day in this book and I enjoyed her parts. I feel like there was a lot of pride in her character in the first part too, pride and love and a need to protect those around her just like Rielle. But Eliana's character thrives where Rielle's does not. Her pride and vanity are done with purpose, with an end goal, and her love is unwavering and true even when it hurts her most of all. Rielle's pride and vanity lacks direction, ambition, and purpose and above all else, that is what infuriates me.
This book left me debating on whether or not I want to finish the series, but with the Illumicrate special editions coming out, and my love for Eliana as well, I will finish it if for no other reason than to hope that Eliana can at least carry the third book.
sanne6je's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to read this book. For a while I considered not finishing but I’m glad I picked it up again because this series is one epic fantasy series.
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
1.0
There were so many bouncing perspectives in this book it felt like I was being tossed out to sea on a tiny raft. I enjoyed the first book, but I feel the series should've ended there.