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adriannasophiabookss's review against another edition
3.0
I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Steeped in Chinese mythology and fantastical world building, this is a beautiful fantasy duology. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book as I really loved the competition element in A Magic Steeped in Poison and that is all over in this book obviously. This one has more of an adventure/quest theme.
A Venom Dark and Sweet took a complete left turn compared to the other book! I both loved this and was unsure at the same time. I am a sucker for dual POV’s, I love that we see Kang’s point of view (even if it’s in third person) and Ning’s as well. It gives us a broader understanding on what is going on in different parts of the plot. There is a lot of political intrigue and strategy in this one as well which I enjoyed.
This world and magic system is so richly developed, sometimes I get confused with a complex system and a lot of mythology to remember but the author explained everything well and if didn’t feel like the information was dumped on me, it flowed freely with the story. Again, as with the first book, food is so richly described, don’t read this while hungry!
My main issue with this book is a lack of character development which was also my only issue with the first book. In my opinion the main character Ning is extremely unlikeable and one dimensional. A lot of the side characters feel well developed but just like with the first book, Ning is extremely flat and I honestly couldn’t even tell you what she looks like or how her personality is even after reading two books from her point of view. I felt more connected to Kang as a character and his point of view was entirely in third person not first. I will say that I found the romance between Kang and Ning to be a lot more believable in this book though. My other issue is the fact that the ending felt very rushed, most of the book is a slow build up to a climax and I felt the end result didn’t live up to that. I do think the duology was concluded well though and I was satisfied with the ending overall.
Judy I. Lin is an incredibly talented writer and for a debut duology this is absolutely fantastic. The writing style, world building, and magic system was all brilliant. I would definitely love to see what this author writes in the future! I definitely recommend this duology, especially if you enjoy mythological elements and a unique magic system!
3.5 stars
Steeped in Chinese mythology and fantastical world building, this is a beautiful fantasy duology. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book as I really loved the competition element in A Magic Steeped in Poison and that is all over in this book obviously. This one has more of an adventure/quest theme.
A Venom Dark and Sweet took a complete left turn compared to the other book! I both loved this and was unsure at the same time. I am a sucker for dual POV’s, I love that we see Kang’s point of view (even if it’s in third person) and Ning’s as well. It gives us a broader understanding on what is going on in different parts of the plot. There is a lot of political intrigue and strategy in this one as well which I enjoyed.
This world and magic system is so richly developed, sometimes I get confused with a complex system and a lot of mythology to remember but the author explained everything well and if didn’t feel like the information was dumped on me, it flowed freely with the story. Again, as with the first book, food is so richly described, don’t read this while hungry!
My main issue with this book is a lack of character development which was also my only issue with the first book. In my opinion the main character Ning is extremely unlikeable and one dimensional. A lot of the side characters feel well developed but just like with the first book, Ning is extremely flat and I honestly couldn’t even tell you what she looks like or how her personality is even after reading two books from her point of view. I felt more connected to Kang as a character and his point of view was entirely in third person not first. I will say that I found the romance between Kang and Ning to be a lot more believable in this book though. My other issue is the fact that the ending felt very rushed, most of the book is a slow build up to a climax and I felt the end result didn’t live up to that. I do think the duology was concluded well though and I was satisfied with the ending overall.
Judy I. Lin is an incredibly talented writer and for a debut duology this is absolutely fantastic. The writing style, world building, and magic system was all brilliant. I would definitely love to see what this author writes in the future! I definitely recommend this duology, especially if you enjoy mythological elements and a unique magic system!
icki07's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jjpope_'s review
2.0
I don’t know what went wrong from the first book to the second, but this just felt… all over the place. I actually enjoyed the first half of this, but upon hitting the second I realised I was really bored and not vibing with the writing style or plot line anymore.
The writing was all tell not show, especially in Ning’s chapters, and the sudden switch to dual POV with completely different styles (that also managed to make the character’s voices feel the exact same still) just didn’t service the story at all. I’d be more amenable to it if Kang’s chapters had been written in first person too, even though I far prefer third, but even then I still don’t know how much I would have liked it. With the first book, I actually felt like I was there with the characters, but here I just felt like I was reading about them wandering back and forth between Point A and Point B.
In the latter half, the plot just felt messy. I especially didn’t like the conclusion to the conflict; it felt entirely rushed, and the magic almost didn’t feel the way it did in the first book. It also felt like everything Ning needed to get to that point fell into her lap on a silver platter, instead of having her actually work for it? Especially in the ending.
I wish I liked this more than I did, but not even the promising first half can make up for whatever the hell the second was.
The writing was all tell not show, especially in Ning’s chapters, and the sudden switch to dual POV with completely different styles (that also managed to make the character’s voices feel the exact same still) just didn’t service the story at all. I’d be more amenable to it if Kang’s chapters had been written in first person too, even though I far prefer third, but even then I still don’t know how much I would have liked it. With the first book, I actually felt like I was there with the characters, but here I just felt like I was reading about them wandering back and forth between Point A and Point B.
In the latter half, the plot just felt messy. I especially didn’t like the conclusion to the conflict; it felt entirely rushed, and the magic almost didn’t feel the way it did in the first book. It also felt like everything Ning needed to get to that point fell into her lap on a silver platter, instead of having her actually work for it? Especially in the ending.
I wish I liked this more than I did, but not even the promising first half can make up for whatever the hell the second was.
readingray's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sat6ru's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
min_no_giuls's review against another edition
4.0
Questo secondo volume della duologia mi ha trovata molto più intrigata del primo.
Ci sono stati colpi di scena che non avrei potuto prevedere, e in generale pare che il primo libro sia solo un’introduzione generale a quello che effettivamente è il vero e proprio fulcro della storia in sé per sé.
Nonostante i primi tre quarti del libro mi abbiano completamente appassionata (li ho letti in due giorni), la parte finale ha lasciato un po’ a desiderare. Questo perché ho pensato che se nel primo libro l’introduzione alla storia fosse stata più breve, il finale sarebbe sembrato meno affrettato e confusionario.
Avrei gradito leggere uno scontro finale un po’ più articolato e intrigante, così come qualche pagina in più sulla connessione e relazione di Kang e Ning, e soprattutto della principessa e della sua relazione con Ruyi.
Tutto sommato è stata una bella duologia, una storia e un universo molto intriganti e pieni di dettagli particolari, ma in cui avrei voluto addentrarmi maggiormente, così da poter assaporare meglio ogni “sapore”.
Ci sono stati colpi di scena che non avrei potuto prevedere, e in generale pare che il primo libro sia solo un’introduzione generale a quello che effettivamente è il vero e proprio fulcro della storia in sé per sé.
Nonostante i primi tre quarti del libro mi abbiano completamente appassionata (li ho letti in due giorni), la parte finale ha lasciato un po’ a desiderare. Questo perché ho pensato che se nel primo libro l’introduzione alla storia fosse stata più breve, il finale sarebbe sembrato meno affrettato e confusionario.
Avrei gradito leggere uno scontro finale un po’ più articolato e intrigante, così come qualche pagina in più sulla connessione e relazione di Kang e Ning, e soprattutto della principessa e della sua relazione con Ruyi.
Tutto sommato è stata una bella duologia, una storia e un universo molto intriganti e pieni di dettagli particolari, ma in cui avrei voluto addentrarmi maggiormente, così da poter assaporare meglio ogni “sapore”.
jayra's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings on this duology.
I really really liked the first book as it was full of magic while the second book mostly focus on following up with the setup? the pace was slow.. idk why and the ending was a tad meh.
also, the drastic changes in POV? felt so weird and out of place.
I really really liked the first book as it was full of magic while the second book mostly focus on following up with the setup? the pace was slow.. idk why and the ending was a tad meh.
also, the drastic changes in POV? felt so weird and out of place.
emmaprew's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. Still didn’t really fully understand the magic or all of the plot but I’m glad I completed the series anyway.