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bibliophilecats's review
adventurous
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? No
4.0
shespeakslyrics's review
4.0
I am really enjoying this series. Completely unique premise and magic system. Could use a little more in detail world building though.
dylor's review
3.0
The first book was way better, I was more invested. But this second book was a little boring for me. Tem should have been with Kamzin, they deserve each other more.
claramsmith's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
patty_creatively_bookish's review
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book, very happy that I bought it.
story 4/5
characters 4/5
writing 4/5
audio/paper I read the book
reread? Most likely.
story 4/5
characters 4/5
writing 4/5
audio/paper I read the book
reread? Most likely.
booksandladders's review
3.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Content Warning: fantasy violence, death
This hit all the tropes of a sequel to a duology of a YA fantasy and I don't know if that means it was good or bad, tbh. There were parts when I was pretty bored and others that I was pretty intrigued so this is a solid 3 stars for me.
The magic and the power system became more interesting in this book, but the characters, conflict, and resolution were bland and stereotypical. It didn't have some of the same tension as the first book, even though we had the dual perspectives this time around. There was nothing that made me feel a though I had to keep turning pages.
I also hated everything about the Emperor and the final battle, which seemed to be resolved with the snap of Thanos' fingers. Instead of being the main focus of the novel, it was over faster than the final scenes. It was actually quite disappointing since there was so much build up, but it seemed like one of those decisions of "this can't be a trilogy, so just pack it all in." But that definitely didn't work for me.
I'm not sure that I recommend this series, but if you were already intrigued, don't let me stop you!
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Content Warning: fantasy violence, death
This hit all the tropes of a sequel to a duology of a YA fantasy and I don't know if that means it was good or bad, tbh. There were parts when I was pretty bored and others that I was pretty intrigued so this is a solid 3 stars for me.
The magic and the power system became more interesting in this book, but the characters, conflict, and resolution were bland and stereotypical. It didn't have some of the same tension as the first book, even though we had the dual perspectives this time around. There was nothing that made me feel a though I had to keep turning pages.
I also hated everything about the Emperor and the final battle, which seemed to be resolved with the snap of Thanos' fingers. Instead of being the main focus of the novel, it was over faster than the final scenes. It was actually quite disappointing since there was so much build up, but it seemed like one of those decisions of "this can't be a trilogy, so just pack it all in." But that definitely didn't work for me.
I'm not sure that I recommend this series, but if you were already intrigued, don't let me stop you!
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
booksandlemonsquash's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this sequel to the fantastic Even the Darkest Stars.
We didn’t completely lose the questing, which is always good, and we got a lot more on the things I was keen to know about from book 1. It’s pretty action packed, and we get to more about the witches and the emperor and his court. I also really loved the addition of the star, and Kamzin protecting it.
I did find that there is still a lot left hanging though. There’s so much left unsaid about River’s future for a start! And Ragtooth! Though I loved getting more on him, and I love him more than ever. And Lusha really needed to acknowledge Kamzin more, plus what was going on with the emperor! So many questions!
And the resolution between River and Kamzin was good but frustrating. I wanted them to hash it out a bit more, but I did really enjoy their relationship and all of their interactions throughout the book.
I highly recommend this duology!
We didn’t completely lose the questing, which is always good, and we got a lot more on the things I was keen to know about from book 1. It’s pretty action packed, and we get to more about the witches and the emperor and his court. I also really loved the addition of the star, and Kamzin protecting it.
I did find that there is still a lot left hanging though. There’s so much left unsaid about River’s future for a start! And Ragtooth! Though I loved getting more on him, and I love him more than ever. And Lusha really needed to acknowledge Kamzin more, plus what was going on with the emperor! So many questions!
And the resolution between River and Kamzin was good but frustrating. I wanted them to hash it out a bit more, but I did really enjoy their relationship and all of their interactions throughout the book.
I highly recommend this duology!
keymir2020's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
raereadings's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0