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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This is going to be a short review, because I friggin’ loved this book. Drawn in from the first page, I loved the magic of this fantasy world with a WWII feel. Loved the You Got Mail interaction between the two main characters. Loved the two leads themselves – complex and deep (though they felt a little older than they were.) Loved the writing. Loved the premise. Loved the narration. Honestly, the only thing I didn’t love was that cliffhanger ending. It felt weird to me for some reason. But will 1000% be reading book 2, and have already recommended this one to basically everyone I know.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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So, someone told me this book was weirdly addicting and they were NOT wrong. It was totally invading my brain space at all times, so do yourself a favor and make sure you clear your schedule so you can read it (as close to) straight through as humanly possible.

A high fantasy with a great, modern voice and solid military vibe. Cool magic. Interesting world. Likable characters. Touch-her-and-die. High stakes. Danger everywhere. Enemies-to-lovers (with plenty of lusty tension and some spice if you’re into that). Fast-paced.

And the DRAGONS. This is how dragons should be. Scary, dangerous, brutal, intelligent, loyal. Just YASSS.

Yeah I’ll be honest, I’m always leery to get into super hyped books, and this one didn’t really grab me from the start. But even though it’s long, this book just fllooooowwwws, and as soon as the dragons really entered the picture a quarter of the way through I was IN IT.

At times, I did get a little tired of the lusty sexual-tension dance between the MCs, but that ending was totally just *chef’s kiss.*

Does it live up to the hype? I honestly don’t know if that’s possible, but this was a solid 5 stars for me. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel and going to the movies. (Please, Hollywood, do them justice.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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So I loved Simon Snow 1 & 2, and while I still enjoyed this one, it was probably my least favorite of the series. Of course, I love Simon and Baz and Penelope, but the story seemed to be a little wandering. And Agatha’s POV really didn’t come together for me this time. It felt disconnected from the others, and kind of incomplete. I’m not sure if there will be a book 4, but on the whole, I feel like Agatha has always been kind of an afterthought, and even more so in this book. Would still totally recommend this to fans of book 1 & 2, and would definitely read a book 4 if there ever is one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐¼

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