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justine4695's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
bookishbrainfart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
alittlebitbookash's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nostalgic_apricity's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
1st book def better but this one is still good. I’d say that the MC’s character development and thoughts were very relatable for me which was cool and it reminded me of areas of myself ik I should improve like the MC tried to. There were also some lines that had me annotating and reflecting which was nice. My main issue was I felt like the book didn’t go in depth enough about any of the lore. We never get an explanation y the MC and love interest have a special ‘connection’. We have no clue if her sister is going 2 get her magic back. We dont know if her dad is still alive. We were told the bare minimum of the ancient backstory and that’s the part of stories I prefer 2 dissect and rlly get into so was a shame didn’t have much 2 work w here. Also had the whole problem of “telling not showing” as had lots of vivid horrifying imagery which I honestly didn’t realise was gruesome until I thought about it later bc were just told about it rather than experiencing the pain w the characters.
deedhonk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
obviously_lene's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
evren_w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lovings_reads3's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so i have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. The whole time i was kind of confused because it’s been a long while since i read book 1, but the plot of this book was still good. I thought it was a lot to keep up with, But i like how we got to see 2 point of views instead of just 1 like we did in book one. So i felt like the plot really got started in chapter 5 when Ning and Ruhr saw that lady and ning noticed the poison and thought it was the poison that killed her mother. It was cool seeing more of Nings magic, but she had a lot to deal with because of this magic, like the nightmares she had about the serpent.
I really liked Ning i thought she was pretty cool, but i think my favorite characters were the side characters, Zhen and Ruyi were pretty cool. But the family bond between Ning and Shu was really cool because it showed that they were really close.
There was a lot of cool quotes, my favorite being “Do not confuse fear with respect, They will follow both, but you will see how easily one will falter.”
I do feel like I spaced out while reading this a bit, it’s easy to remember some parts and some parts i cannot remember whatsoever. But i did think the epilogue was really nice, overall it was a good book, confusing, but good.
I really liked Ning i thought she was pretty cool, but i think my favorite characters were the side characters, Zhen and Ruyi were pretty cool. But the family bond between Ning and Shu was really cool because it showed that they were really close.
There was a lot of cool quotes, my favorite being “Do not confuse fear with respect, They will follow both, but you will see how easily one will falter.”
I do feel like I spaced out while reading this a bit, it’s easy to remember some parts and some parts i cannot remember whatsoever. But i did think the epilogue was really nice, overall it was a good book, confusing, but good.
shuyingzheng's review against another edition
4.0
A good conclusion to the plot points from the first book. I definitely enjoyed the ongoing use of the magic system and the fantasy elements of gods and immortals. The journey of the good hearted peasant who saves the world is pretty classic too.
ohyouread's review against another edition
5.0
What an epic ending to a a beautifully magical duology!
The gang narrowly escaped at the end of book 1 when the King is killed and much of the population is poisoned, including Ning’s sister. So Princess Zhen, Ruyi, and Ning go in search of a cure to save the people, enlisting the help of Gods.
Judy I Lin does a masterful job once again weaving Chinese & Taiwanese Mythology & Folklore into her second book. Ning has kept her powers secret from everyone, only letting bits out throughout the competition to help her get by. But now she has to survive and make sure her sister lives. Calling on the Gods for guidance, she has to bring the dead back from the brink.
We also get Zang’s POV in this book, which was really needed. He may have only been the love interest to Ning in book 1, but now he’s the Prince. His father, the warlord, is running the show and with his point of view, we get to have our eye on a lot more of the action.
I love these books! A Venom Dark & Sweet brought a ton more magic and a lot more action. I can’t wait to see what more Judy I Lin has in store for us in the future.
The gang narrowly escaped at the end of book 1 when the King is killed and much of the population is poisoned, including Ning’s sister. So Princess Zhen, Ruyi, and Ning go in search of a cure to save the people, enlisting the help of Gods.
Judy I Lin does a masterful job once again weaving Chinese & Taiwanese Mythology & Folklore into her second book. Ning has kept her powers secret from everyone, only letting bits out throughout the competition to help her get by. But now she has to survive and make sure her sister lives. Calling on the Gods for guidance, she has to bring the dead back from the brink.
We also get Zang’s POV in this book, which was really needed. He may have only been the love interest to Ning in book 1, but now he’s the Prince. His father, the warlord, is running the show and with his point of view, we get to have our eye on a lot more of the action.
I love these books! A Venom Dark & Sweet brought a ton more magic and a lot more action. I can’t wait to see what more Judy I Lin has in store for us in the future.