I had a big road trip today, and I was drawn in by this book the WHOLE way. It hooked me with the complex world, epic stakes, and dark tones from the very beginning and then the misfit revolutionary vibes of the lovable cast and the slowburn budding romance had me till the very end. Note this book does have a lot of heavy, complex themes and it does not pull punches when it comes to the dark reality of their society (genocide, slavery, abuse, racism, religious extremism… I could probably go on), so it won’t be for everyone, but for me, the pacing and story-building were totally on point. I’m not going to lie, I think I enjoyed this one more than Fourth Wing (there are definitely similarities) and I’m so excited to read book 2! My only note is that I don’t think this book stands alone in any way. While there is a lot of satisfying progress, and it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, there are still so many resolutions we’ll need from the rest of the series. Recommended for those looking for an epic fantasy with intense political world-building and dark undertones.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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This book brings ALL the found family and cozy fantasy vibes. I loved the characters and the sweet budding romance, but the tension was just a little low for me, and while the resolution was fitting it didn’t quite the satisfaction I was hoping. That said, if you’re looking for a low stakes, cozy read—this is for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐¼

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I knew it would be hard to follow up the first book after I loved it so much, but this wasn’t the sequel I hoped for.

I felt like in so many ways, we were re-treading the ground covered in book one, and I didn’t see as much magical world-building as in the first book. While the writing was wonderful and I still loved the characters, I feel like we didn’t dive deep enough into them in this book. I think all of those elements combined really slowed the pace down. And yet the ending felt weirdly rushed?

Overall, this left me with mixed feelings about this duology, but of course, if you loved the first one, I’d still recommend picking this one up and seeing what you think. (And the audiobook narration is fantastic!)

⭐⭐⭐¾

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What I liked about this book:

• The thought of a whimsical halfway tea house on your way to the afterlife
• Lovely writing
• Most of the supportive characters were engaging and likable
• The audiobook narration was good

What I disliked:

• The main character, Wallace. At the beginning he is awful, and I thought his redemption and personality shift was way too quick. Honestly, I think the ending he got was completely undeserved, and the speed in which he changed everything about himself made his relationships with the other characters seem shallow.
• The pacing. For me, this book progressed very slowly, with the characters 0ften waxing poetic on life and death.

So overall, I didn’t really think this one was for me, but if you’re looking for a philosophical, whimsical paranormal that takes its time, this could be for you!

⭐⭐⭐½

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A interesting, quirky Sleeping Beauty retelling, but in the end I felt like this novella just needed a little more oomph to flesh the characters out. Recommended for those looking for quick read of an old tale that keeps the grim fairytale feel with a twist.

⭐⭐⭐¾

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Finished this five minutes ago. No spoilers – real thoughts.

Things I liked:

• The Dragons (as in book one, I think this is exactly how dragons should be)
• Specifically, Tairn & Andarna. Definitely my favorite
• The squad dynamics and loyalty going on
• Love the action
• Love that BIG plot events happened, and that Violet played a huge part in them, really coming into her own
• The perfection of the audiobook narration
• The family dynamics
• The action scenes
• Huge stakes
• The real feeling that no one is safe

Things I didn’t like:

• Violet & Xaden have one ongoing fight for the entirety of this 28 hour audiobook, and it is about something (imho) ridiculous, to the point of feeling contrived for the sake of relationship tension. I like Violet pretty much the entire time except when she is with Xaden.
• The ending. While the last book left me with a feeling of satisfaction after a book-long build to a reveal… I don’t think I got enough closure/resolution in this one to justify the abrupt cliffhanger. Which basically makes it feel like this book doesn’t stand alone in any way, but is rather a stepping stone to book 3. I know it won’t bother most people that love long series, but it’s a big pet peeve of mine. After 28 hours, I would like to close the book with a satisfying pay-off or clawing for the next one… and I don’t really feel either.

So, I think I liked it about the same as the first book, which is to say – solid read and will read book 3, but probably won’t make my 2023 favorite books list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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