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badbadwolf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Slavery, Child death, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Medical content, Xenophobia, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and War
straw_hat_kd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
The book picks up almost immediately after the ending of The Rage of Dragons and from the point forward it refuses to let it's foot off of your neck. It reminds me a good television or movie that has a stronger second season/film. You see relationships form and grow. The stakes are even higher than book 1 and reaches an eventual fever pitch at the close of this book. Evan Winters does a great job of writing detailed action sequences. Sometimes I could see Tau was clearly in control of a battle. Other times, I was wondering how bad the damage was going to be to Tau or those in his company. There are so many jaw dropping events that I was scrambling to find a free moment to read so I could see what was going to happen next. I'm looking forward to book 3, whenever that may drop. Hopefully, it's sooner than later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, War, Xenophobia, and Violence
maelikesbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this book and breezed through it. Really engaging plot and characters are compelling. That said, I did think it was a little weaker than the first book. It’s themes are a little messy and there isn’t as much character development. I also didn’t care for the main romance and thought it was given way too much page time that I would’ve rather spend with characters like Uduak and Hadith who didn’t get as many character moments. I missed the friendship and brotherhood we got to see in Book 1 with Scale Jayeed.
For example, Jabari’s storyline and relationship with Tau was a high point for me, and yet it still felt rushed and a little under-explored.
There is a distinctive tonal shift (I’m not really sure if tonal is the right word here) from the first book, specifically when it comes to violence. While the first book did focus a lot on combat and violence and didn’t shy away from showing messed up things (Lekan’s action at the start for example), Book 2 feels like it’s jumping into the grimdark deep end. I don’t think this is a problem, and it never feels gratuitous - but it did feel more brutal than I was expecting going into it.
Overall, this book feels like it’s doing a lot of setting up for the next installations. And while it’s not the most polished approach, it remains damn entertaining every step of the way. If this is what middle book syndrome feels like for this series, I can’t imagine how much fun the final book will be!
For example, Jabari’s storyline and relationship with Tau was a high point for me, and yet it still felt rushed and a little under-explored.
There is a distinctive tonal shift (I’m not really sure if tonal is the right word here) from the first book, specifically when it comes to violence. While the first book did focus a lot on combat and violence and didn’t shy away from showing messed up things (Lekan’s action at the start for example), Book 2 feels like it’s jumping into the grimdark deep end. I don’t think this is a problem, and it never feels gratuitous - but it did feel more brutal than I was expecting going into it.
Overall, this book feels like it’s doing a lot of setting up for the next installations. And while it’s not the most polished approach, it remains damn entertaining every step of the way. If this is what middle book syndrome feels like for this series, I can’t imagine how much fun the final book will be!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, Body horror, Genocide, and Torture
Minor: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
rikki_fae's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This sequel dishes out a LOT of consequences for both individuals and Omehi society. It is considerably darker than the first book, but the themes fit this point in the plot well. My favorite aspect is how the characters manipulate the magic system to solve problems; it was so well thought-out and satisfying! My only small complaint is a few chapters changed POV and I didn’t find it necessary or as emotionally impactful as it was intended (I think these chapters either needed to be cut or her POV should have been introduced sooner. I wasn't emotionally invested in her and I wasn't interested in having shallow, love-story based sympathy for an antagonist) Overall, I loved it and I am beyond excited for book three!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Genocide, and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia
flik's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Xenophobia
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