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coffeeaddicted1988's review
4.0
Since the book was divided between Anna’s and Matyas’ point of views, the story dragged a bit. But it was necessary. I enjoyed Matyas more this time around, mostly because we have so much more details. With everything that happened in book 1, I found Anna had too much naïveté left. Like thinking that destroying the Binding would change social classes quickly. Like loving Gabor and thinking it would eventually be acceptable to be married. Like trusting Hunger. I’m looking forward to book 3, which I will read as soon as I speed through my other loans!
tashaseegmiller's review
5.0
As if returning to this innovative and magical world weren't reward enough, Eves weaves even more intrigue, magic, and world-changing stakes into the second book of her trilogy. Readers get to see Anna both different and yet similar to the heroine I came to love in Blood Rose Rebellion. Probably my favorite and unexpected part was the integration of creatures both stunning and dangerous. I cannot wait to dive in to the final installment.
madianderson49's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
littlewhiterabbitreads's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
julzcash's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashmarie716's review
3.0
I am going to be very honest. The first book I loved, but this one seemed to drag for me. I rarely read print books outside of work and that was definitely true for this one. I had to force myself to finish it. The story just no longer captivated me.
betsyrisen's review
4.0
Admittedly, this one didn't hold my attention as well as the first book in this series, but I was never going to quit in the middle of a trilogy. The story picked up and ended on a right proper tease that makes me excited for book 3.
skyzinnia's review
3.0
I felt very much the same in this one as I did the first: slightly boring, takes forever for anything to happen, etc.
This one had a few plot twists that were a bit more exciting than the first but was still rather dull in the end.
The characters have a weird way of acting how they feel. They more describe how they should be feeling rather than acting it. They talk about being sad, but their actions don't match it. It's kind of hard to describe.
On page 355, she mentions an orgy. It's mentioned in a bad light, so there's that at least, but I don't think it should have been mentioned at all. Especially not in a YA book for teenagers. There are many more ways she could have used that analogy that would have conveyed it better/smarter/less disgusting.
This one had a few plot twists that were a bit more exciting than the first but was still rather dull in the end.
The characters have a weird way of acting how they feel. They more describe how they should be feeling rather than acting it. They talk about being sad, but their actions don't match it. It's kind of hard to describe.
On page 355, she mentions an orgy. It's mentioned in a bad light, so there's that at least, but I don't think it should have been mentioned at all. Especially not in a YA book for teenagers. There are many more ways she could have used that analogy that would have conveyed it better/smarter/less disgusting.
erinarkin20's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
The Lost Crow Conspiracy by Rosalyn Eves is the second book of the Blood Rose Rebellion series and admittedly I was a bit on the fence jumping into this book as the first one left me a little wanting but based on the ending of book one, I knew I was going to have to see what happens next for the characters, so I immediately dove into it and I am glad I did as the story got interesting. If you have not yet read book one, you might want to hold on reading this review as there are some things I will talk about that will for sure ruin that book for you if you don’t want any spoilers.
This book picks up shortly after the end of book one and things have drastically changed in Anna’s world. She is facing danger and conflict from both the Monarchy and the Praetheria and because her family doesn’t know the whole truth about her breaking the Binding, she doesn’t have anyone she can really rely on other than Gabor.
Politics plays a big role in this book. With the Binding broken, some Luminates who had magic have lost it and some lower-class citizens now have access to their magic for the first time. This is creating some unforeseen issues and add to that the Praetheria who are wandering free now want to be able to do what they like, and Anna is in a tough position. When she finds herself engaging with the Archduchess and her son both politically and personally, Anna needs to figure out where she stands and what she wants. Her heart still belongs to Gabor, but Gabor recognizes that they are coming from different worlds and will never be accepted which drives him to a decision that Anna doesn’t want to accept.
As I mentioned, Anna is trying to figure out what she wants. It is important to note that she is getting pressure from Hunger and Vasilisa (Praetheria) to help them get what they want, either through her attendance in the Congress or just her everyday activities. Because of who she is and who she knows, Anna has the ability to get the ear of some pretty powerful people. Unfortunately for her, as a young woman, her opinions and thoughts aren’t always accepted by those around her and when she discloses to all what her role was in releasing the Binding, things take a turn for the worse for her.
This book actually alternates perspectives from Anna to Matyas and while I found the chapters that were from Matyas’ perspective, I found myself hurrying through them to get back to Anna’s story. For some reason I found that part of the book more compelling and yes, we needed to understand what was happening with Matyas but I just happened to be more interested in what was going on with Anna.
For Matyas, he is coming to terms with who/what he is now and what his role in the world is. It was interesting to get his point of view on what he sacrificed to help Anna and then too, to hear how he felt he even failed at dying. I also thought it was interesting that at times, he had a bit of anger toward the fact that Anna was continuing to live her life and he didn’t know what to do with his now. As he starts to figure out where he fits and ultimately as his story starts to meet up with Anna’s I found myself turning the pages to see where Eves was going to link it all up.
Overall, I found myself enjoying this book more than the first one. I think the pacing felt better and the addition of Matyas’ point of view added a layer to the story that we didn’t have before. There were still points of the story that dragged a bit for me but overall, there was a great balance of character development, story development, and action / political intrigue. Consider checking out this series if you have not yet done so. I will be waiting on the next book to see what happens next for these characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Lost Crow Conspiracy by Rosalyn Eves is the second book of the Blood Rose Rebellion series and admittedly I was a bit on the fence jumping into this book as the first one left me a little wanting but based on the ending of book one, I knew I was going to have to see what happens next for the characters, so I immediately dove into it and I am glad I did as the story got interesting. If you have not yet read book one, you might want to hold on reading this review as there are some things I will talk about that will for sure ruin that book for you if you don’t want any spoilers.
This book picks up shortly after the end of book one and things have drastically changed in Anna’s world. She is facing danger and conflict from both the Monarchy and the Praetheria and because her family doesn’t know the whole truth about her breaking the Binding, she doesn’t have anyone she can really rely on other than Gabor.
Politics plays a big role in this book. With the Binding broken, some Luminates who had magic have lost it and some lower-class citizens now have access to their magic for the first time. This is creating some unforeseen issues and add to that the Praetheria who are wandering free now want to be able to do what they like, and Anna is in a tough position. When she finds herself engaging with the Archduchess and her son both politically and personally, Anna needs to figure out where she stands and what she wants. Her heart still belongs to Gabor, but Gabor recognizes that they are coming from different worlds and will never be accepted which drives him to a decision that Anna doesn’t want to accept.
As I mentioned, Anna is trying to figure out what she wants. It is important to note that she is getting pressure from Hunger and Vasilisa (Praetheria) to help them get what they want, either through her attendance in the Congress or just her everyday activities. Because of who she is and who she knows, Anna has the ability to get the ear of some pretty powerful people. Unfortunately for her, as a young woman, her opinions and thoughts aren’t always accepted by those around her and when she discloses to all what her role was in releasing the Binding, things take a turn for the worse for her.
This book actually alternates perspectives from Anna to Matyas and while I found the chapters that were from Matyas’ perspective, I found myself hurrying through them to get back to Anna’s story. For some reason I found that part of the book more compelling and yes, we needed to understand what was happening with Matyas but I just happened to be more interested in what was going on with Anna.
For Matyas, he is coming to terms with who/what he is now and what his role in the world is. It was interesting to get his point of view on what he sacrificed to help Anna and then too, to hear how he felt he even failed at dying. I also thought it was interesting that at times, he had a bit of anger toward the fact that Anna was continuing to live her life and he didn’t know what to do with his now. As he starts to figure out where he fits and ultimately as his story starts to meet up with Anna’s I found myself turning the pages to see where Eves was going to link it all up.
Overall, I found myself enjoying this book more than the first one. I think the pacing felt better and the addition of Matyas’ point of view added a layer to the story that we didn’t have before. There were still points of the story that dragged a bit for me but overall, there was a great balance of character development, story development, and action / political intrigue. Consider checking out this series if you have not yet done so. I will be waiting on the next book to see what happens next for these characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.