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planetbeth91's review
4.0
An enjoyable end to the duology as Nedra wrestles with her dark power and her complex relationships with both the living and the dead.
floandra's review
3.0
2.5
I loved "Give the dark my love" and I was so excited for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver.
The plot is basically the same as it was in the first book and there was no character development.
As soon as they mentioned reliquary it was clear what was gonna happen.
I was going to DNF this but I kept hoping for something more since I loved Grey and Nedra so much. Unfortunately all I got was mostly the same story with different names.
I loved "Give the dark my love" and I was so excited for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver.
The plot is basically the same as it was in the first book and there was no character development.
As soon as they mentioned reliquary it was clear what was gonna happen.
I was going to DNF this but I kept hoping for something more since I loved Grey and Nedra so much. Unfortunately all I got was mostly the same story with different names.
slanik's review
4.0
Bid My Soul Farewell (Give the Dark My Love, #2) picks up right where book one left off. Nedra has saved the emperor from captivity and found the necromancer who started the plague and doled out justice. But in the process, Nedra solidified herself as a necromancer, a practice punishable by hanging. Despite the darkness and lawlessness of Nedra’s choices, Grey can’t shake his love for her and his need to protect her. On mission for the emperor, Grey sets out on a voyage, while smuggling Nedra along. Nedra is swept into an underground network of rebels who provide her with books, equipment, and more questions. Though her ultimate goal has always been to protect and restore her sister, can she resist the power that is starting to surge in her veins?
The second book in the series is set to be published on September 24th, 2019, by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. For those who loved the first book in the series, you won’t be disappointed by this follow up.
I enjoyed following along with Nedra and Grey as they wade through the murky waters of the lines between good and evil. Grey has to decide whether his love for Nedra outweighs his disdain for necromancy. He is also rising in the ranks of the emperor and has to make some tough decisions there.
Nedra is consumed by her powers and is voraciously reading and researching as much as possible in the hopes to bring back her sister, but what she finds lends itself to some shaky ground as well, but man does she have some grit.
I don’t know that I enjoyed this book as much as the first one, solely because I had figured out part of the twist ending about halfway through. But, there were more twists at the end that had me reeling!
Overall, I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads. If we were allowed decimals, I would give it a 3.8 or so. I was given this digital galley for free in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss+.
The second book in the series is set to be published on September 24th, 2019, by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. For those who loved the first book in the series, you won’t be disappointed by this follow up.
I enjoyed following along with Nedra and Grey as they wade through the murky waters of the lines between good and evil. Grey has to decide whether his love for Nedra outweighs his disdain for necromancy. He is also rising in the ranks of the emperor and has to make some tough decisions there.
Nedra is consumed by her powers and is voraciously reading and researching as much as possible in the hopes to bring back her sister, but what she finds lends itself to some shaky ground as well, but man does she have some grit.
I don’t know that I enjoyed this book as much as the first one, solely because I had figured out part of the twist ending about halfway through. But, there were more twists at the end that had me reeling!
Overall, I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads. If we were allowed decimals, I would give it a 3.8 or so. I was given this digital galley for free in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss+.
bigdreamsandwildthings's review
4.0
"Grief was like a fleshbane spider bite. It caused a wound that tore a chunk out of you. Grey seemed to think that mourning was like healing from a razor slicing through skin - it hurt, but it would heal, leaving nothing but a faint scar. But really, grief left a hole in you, and while you healed around the hole, you never didn’t have it. A piece of you was gone. You couldn’t heal something that wasn’t there."
This was a worthy sequel to what has become one of my most memorable books of the year, Give the Dark My Love. It's just as dark, gritty, and unafraid to delve into some really deep questions and real-world issues.
After defeating the necromancer behind the plague and saving the Emperor, Nedra Brysstain is back in her quarantine hospital with her revenants. All she cares about is finding a way to bring back her sister Nessie's soul, but as time wears thin, so too do her revenants. Meanwhile, Grey seems to be favoured by the newly-returned Emperor, who decides to send him to the north, to find some way to increase their exports to the mainland and therefore increase their wealth and quality of life. Grey realizes that doing as the Emperor bids him, and becoming closer to him in the process, threatens Nedra's life; she is, after all, a necromancer, who should not be suffered to live. But both Nedra and Grey are dealing with a foe that they could not have conjured in their wildest dreams, and Nedra may have to descend even further into darkness to defeat them.
I've read a few other reviews that discuss how they're only invested in these characters because of book one, and I actually somewhat agree with that. In this book, both Grey and Nedra remain the same. Grey changes subtly, discovering his own naivety and gaining a bit more perspective on his world, but Nedra especially is very single-minded. Where her character went through SO MUCH GROWTH in book one in her descent into the darkness, here, she is more like a shell of herself. She only wants to save Nessie.
But I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I was quite invested in Grey's story especially, which I didn't expect, since I thought he was a weak point in the first book. The way that politics are key to his story, the commentary on tradition versus modernity and cultural appropriation and all of it, was fascinating to me. I wanted to see how his rose-coloured glasses, his mission, and Nedra's character would ultimately combine, and that kept me reading, and absolutely devouring, this one.
And the ending took me by surprise. I thought that this was written in a really tight, interesting way; I had each character's ultimate goals in mind at all times, but there were also these little tidbits of information fed to us along the way that didn't fit. The mural of the old Emperor, another necromancer sending Nedra things...I was rather satisfied with how it all ended up fitting together in the end.
I take off a star for this one also because I don't like the epilogue. I don't like how the author ultimately wrapped things up in two pages. I thought that Nedra and Grey deserved a more realistic ending, one that didn't feel quite so rushed, and one that didn't force Nedra into a mold that I truly don't think she fit into by the end of everything.
However, that said, I found this duology extremely engaging. It is so dark, disturbingly so at times, but if you like your fantasy with those kinds of overtones, then this is a series I will 100% recommend. I love how real-world issues like inequality, poverty, and class divides are tackled, but also with zombies and magic alongside them. I really, really enjoyed this world and the characters in it.
This was a worthy sequel to what has become one of my most memorable books of the year, Give the Dark My Love. It's just as dark, gritty, and unafraid to delve into some really deep questions and real-world issues.
After defeating the necromancer behind the plague and saving the Emperor, Nedra Brysstain is back in her quarantine hospital with her revenants. All she cares about is finding a way to bring back her sister Nessie's soul, but as time wears thin, so too do her revenants. Meanwhile, Grey seems to be favoured by the newly-returned Emperor, who decides to send him to the north, to find some way to increase their exports to the mainland and therefore increase their wealth and quality of life. Grey realizes that doing as the Emperor bids him, and becoming closer to him in the process, threatens Nedra's life; she is, after all, a necromancer, who should not be suffered to live. But both Nedra and Grey are dealing with a foe that they could not have conjured in their wildest dreams, and Nedra may have to descend even further into darkness to defeat them.
I've read a few other reviews that discuss how they're only invested in these characters because of book one, and I actually somewhat agree with that. In this book, both Grey and Nedra remain the same. Grey changes subtly, discovering his own naivety and gaining a bit more perspective on his world, but Nedra especially is very single-minded. Where her character went through SO MUCH GROWTH in book one in her descent into the darkness, here, she is more like a shell of herself. She only wants to save Nessie.
But I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I was quite invested in Grey's story especially, which I didn't expect, since I thought he was a weak point in the first book. The way that politics are key to his story, the commentary on tradition versus modernity and cultural appropriation and all of it, was fascinating to me. I wanted to see how his rose-coloured glasses, his mission, and Nedra's character would ultimately combine, and that kept me reading, and absolutely devouring, this one.
And the ending took me by surprise. I thought that this was written in a really tight, interesting way; I had each character's ultimate goals in mind at all times, but there were also these little tidbits of information fed to us along the way that didn't fit. The mural of the old Emperor, another necromancer sending Nedra things...I was rather satisfied with how it all ended up fitting together in the end.
I take off a star for this one also because I don't like the epilogue. I don't like how the author ultimately wrapped things up in two pages. I thought that Nedra and Grey deserved a more realistic ending, one that didn't feel quite so rushed, and one that didn't force Nedra into a mold that I truly don't think she fit into by the end of everything.
However, that said, I found this duology extremely engaging. It is so dark, disturbingly so at times, but if you like your fantasy with those kinds of overtones, then this is a series I will 100% recommend. I love how real-world issues like inequality, poverty, and class divides are tackled, but also with zombies and magic alongside them. I really, really enjoyed this world and the characters in it.
bookprincess11's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
confessionsfromabookworm's review
4.0
I will say that I did like this book a little more than the first one. I thought it was more enjoyable and it wasn’t as slow as the first book. I like how you get to see Nedra grow as a necromancer and you get to see how things progress between her and Grey and how their feelings for each other stand against everything that they both stand for. I definitely liked the direction that Beth took this book. And I enjoyed the ending of this book a lot more than the first book.
merlin_reads's review
4.0
I'm not going to lie, I was surprised as hell by how much I loved Give the Dark My Love. So needless to say, I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel. And I finally did!!
There will probably be spoilers of the first book, so be warned if you haven't read it. Nedra is still reeling from the loss of her family and can only find comfort among her dead. Meanwhile, Grey is working under the Emperor to make Lunar Island a better place and to also keep his eye away from Nedra. But what seems like a cut and dry mission turns into a betrayal of the highest degree.
I will say I did like the first one better but only by a smidge. Mostly I disagreed with the ending. I felt it a little too happy for the scenario presented but I can see why Revis ended it the way she did. And man, this duology was a rollercoaster. There were moments in this book where both characters showed extreme vulnerability in light of the events surrounding them. I loved these glimpses into both Nedra and Grey. It reminds the readers of what this book series is about - what would you do for love?
There were a lot of ups and downs in this one. But I enjoyed the way the author portrayed Nedra's seduction to the darkness. The sway of power is something that's hard for anyone to ignore, but when the darkness promises relief and saving loved ones, it's not hard to see why Nedra is tempted. Her pain is so loud and Grey is the only one who hears her. But Nedra doesn't trust herself so she doesn't trust anyone else. I loved watching Grey try to get through to her and the inner battle that Nedra suffered. Just a great duology and I'm so happy to have read it!
There will probably be spoilers of the first book, so be warned if you haven't read it. Nedra is still reeling from the loss of her family and can only find comfort among her dead. Meanwhile, Grey is working under the Emperor to make Lunar Island a better place and to also keep his eye away from Nedra. But what seems like a cut and dry mission turns into a betrayal of the highest degree.
I will say I did like the first one better but only by a smidge. Mostly I disagreed with the ending. I felt it a little too happy for the scenario presented but I can see why Revis ended it the way she did. And man, this duology was a rollercoaster. There were moments in this book where both characters showed extreme vulnerability in light of the events surrounding them. I loved these glimpses into both Nedra and Grey. It reminds the readers of what this book series is about - what would you do for love?
There were a lot of ups and downs in this one. But I enjoyed the way the author portrayed Nedra's seduction to the darkness. The sway of power is something that's hard for anyone to ignore, but when the darkness promises relief and saving loved ones, it's not hard to see why Nedra is tempted. Her pain is so loud and Grey is the only one who hears her. But Nedra doesn't trust herself so she doesn't trust anyone else. I loved watching Grey try to get through to her and the inner battle that Nedra suffered. Just a great duology and I'm so happy to have read it!