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purplehulk713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I liked this book better than the first one, which is unusual because the first book had more magic, and I never really liked Grey in my first encounters with him because I thought he was too stubborn in his loyalty. But that was something that was played upon in this novel—both how and why he acts in that way—which I thought was far more interesting than his initial portrayal, especially since we get to hear his voice as a primary narrator in this book. I loved Lia Mara, and basically every other new important character that was introduced in this installment—Tycho and Iisak are great. Tycho is cute and endearing, and Iisak is funny, dry, and mysterious. But Lia Mara is so so determined yet so insecure (and her toxic relationship with her mother Karis Luran brings out a lot of strong Amity Blight vibes) and from the first chapters that we meet her and hear her views of her mother and sister, Nolla Verin, it’s clearly evident how passionate she is but also so vulnerable and apprehensive. Her role in the climax is epic! She and Grey are excellent foils for each other. I was so impressed by Brigid Kemmerer’s world-building, especially as the characters crossed into Syhl Shallow and they explained things like their matrilineal line of succession, but also the poignancy of the issues she’s depicting with these characters like the best way to achieve peace between two countries, or even mutual respect and civility within one’s own country. Brigid Kemmerer is herself a magesmith for how deftly she is both able to portray these issues as well develop realistic characters to grapple and grow with them. The only reason I rated this book below five stars was that it didn’t have as much magic as I craved, though I cannot remember enjoying a book that discussed diplomacy so much this much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
jmonsalve2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
While I thought Rhen/Harper’s characters suffered a bit in this book I enjoyed following Grey and new character Lia Mara. The end did not leave me wanting to read the 3rd book though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Toxic relationship
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