toodlebean's review against another edition
4.0
Illusionary is a phenomenal conclusion to the Hollow Crown duology.
I struggled to connect with Incendiary and was very cautious going into the sequel. I absolutely devoured this one in a single day. The pacing is much faster due to nearing the end of the war and events are happening much faster. Old characters make their return in new and surprising ways. The conclusion is so satisfying and is the best ending I've read as far back as I can remember.
I do still have some unanswered questions and failed to connect deeply with any of these characters. It is for that reason I have not given a 5 star rating. I think these books work their best as a duology. Readers may find they become disinterested after completing Incendiary but I highly recommend purchasing both books as a set and reading them back to back, it's a very satisfying end.
I struggled to connect with Incendiary and was very cautious going into the sequel. I absolutely devoured this one in a single day. The pacing is much faster due to nearing the end of the war and events are happening much faster. Old characters make their return in new and surprising ways. The conclusion is so satisfying and is the best ending I've read as far back as I can remember.
I do still have some unanswered questions and failed to connect deeply with any of these characters. It is for that reason I have not given a 5 star rating. I think these books work their best as a duology. Readers may find they become disinterested after completing Incendiary but I highly recommend purchasing both books as a set and reading them back to back, it's a very satisfying end.
manu71005's review against another edition
2.0
It took me 18 days to read this book. Which was a surprise considering that I was really excited about this before it was released, and in another book, I would have probably taken only 3 days. The main problem I had was how BORING it was. A shame because I really liked the first book and I was really looking forward to this one.
The main reason I disliked this book was that my lack of focus due to nothing interesting happening made me don't understand anything at all, and add to that all the names of characters that I didn't remember from the previous book plus all the new ones added to this book. I only knew 5 characters everyone else was a stranger to me.
And another thing I was super excited to read in the book was the relationship development between Cas and Nati. But the thing is nothing happened, just like 3 cute scenes and the rest was meh.
And those two things combined made this book totally forgettable and boring for me. I don't personally think it was a bad book, there were some interesting things that I didn't fully understand But that's me, maybe it wasn't the right moment to read it but you may like it.
The main reason I disliked this book was that my lack of focus due to nothing interesting happening made me don't understand anything at all, and add to that all the names of characters that I didn't remember from the previous book plus all the new ones added to this book. I only knew 5 characters everyone else was a stranger to me.
And another thing I was super excited to read in the book was the relationship development between Cas and Nati. But the thing is nothing happened, just like 3 cute scenes and the rest was meh.
And those two things combined made this book totally forgettable and boring for me. I don't personally think it was a bad book, there were some interesting things that I didn't fully understand But that's me, maybe it wasn't the right moment to read it but you may like it.
bridrizzle72's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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? No
3.75
_emilyjw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? Yes
3.75
fairyshyne1's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it.
I really liked the first book, but this one was even better. Beautiful end to the duology. I loved the twists and turns, as well as the cast of characters.
I really liked the first book, but this one was even better. Beautiful end to the duology. I loved the twists and turns, as well as the cast of characters.
bookishandlegal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
zombiecats's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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? Yes
4.25
palmkd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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
4.5
This story is about so many things such as accepting and forgiving yourself and finding where you belong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: War and Body horror
leanne_y_m's review against another edition
I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book in this series "Incendiary" .. don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable but it didn't blow me away, I did like it enough though to want to carry on with the series ... obviously!! Unfortunately, Illusionary didn't win me over either and took me over a week to read in the end, I had to force myself to pick it up each time. However, I did like it a bit more than the first so that is a plus .. The character development was really good and the pacing of the book was so much better and much smoother. I also loved Leo!!
I don't think the book is in any way a bad book, not at all! I definitely believe more people than not will enjoy and love this one but for some reason I just couldn't get into the story as much as I wanted to and didn't really connect to the characters either (other than Leo) so I struggled.
If you enjoyed Incendiary you will love this Illusionary!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.
I don't think the book is in any way a bad book, not at all! I definitely believe more people than not will enjoy and love this one but for some reason I just couldn't get into the story as much as I wanted to and didn't really connect to the characters either (other than Leo) so I struggled.
If you enjoyed Incendiary you will love this Illusionary!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.