snchard's review against another edition
4.0
Strong sequel, still love the tea-based magic system. This one felt more like palace intrigue than competition aftermath, but I do love a good witch in the woods. There was a good bit more body horror than expected. My only real qualm here is that Ning calls the magical mind space "the shadow realm" and every single time she said it I wanted her to summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon and reveal that Kaiba was the true villain all along.
aureumdraconem's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
arrkon's review against another edition
The two books have the best most evocative covers
rahrahjay'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? It's complicated
3.75
I enjoyed this sequel! I don’t think it was as good as the first volume, but it was a good ending. There were points where I feel like the plot was rushed, because there was a lot to wrap up and not enough time given to the events in which to conclude them all. The writing was still good though, and the story was engaging. That rushedness was only in very small parts. And the rest of the books merits our weigh that fault!
There was a bit more gore and darkness in this as well! That was neat. I’m always a fan of hopeful fantasy becoming dark, and my main complaint would be that it wasn’t dark enough for long enough. I feel like more damage should have been done considering everything, and that it was very focused on the characters and their internal strife versus the ramifications the serpent had on the world. This is certainly a very character driven book, but if you don’t mind (which I do not) you’ll enjoy the story.
Overall I really enjoyed this conclusion. It was a fast and easy read, the magic system is awesome, and I still love the characters and wanted to see how everything got wrapped up in the end.
And oh my god I cannot tell you how HAPPY I am that the author didn’t pull the whole “main character girl loses her powers to save the world/save somebody else” bullshit.
There was a bit more gore and darkness in this as well! That was neat. I’m always a fan of hopeful fantasy becoming dark, and my main complaint would be that it wasn’t dark enough for long enough. I feel like more damage should have been done considering everything, and that it was very focused on the characters and their internal strife versus the ramifications the serpent had on the world. This is certainly a very character driven book, but if you don’t mind (which I do not) you’ll enjoy the story.
Overall I really enjoyed this conclusion. It was a fast and easy read, the magic system is awesome, and I still love the characters and wanted to see how everything got wrapped up in the end.
Spoiler
And oh my god I cannot tell you how HAPPY I am that the author didn’t pull the whole “main character girl loses her powers to save the world/save somebody else” bullshit.
Spoiler
v_gonz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very solid sequel to the first book and a good conclusion to the duology. It's so rare to have a 2 book series be complete, just about everything's a trilogy these days. But despite being two slim-ish volumes, there was plenty of action and worldbuilding.
I did enjoy the bridge of birds reference and it made me wish there were a few more of those stories brought into the books like that.
Spoiler
The tea aspect was pushed a little bit further than the metaphysic really seemed to support (like when she put her magic in the soup- I mean sure, I can see the reasoning but it seemed a bit like a "I need this to happen so it does"). And the details seemed a bit more rushed and less complex than in the first book. But I suppose the pacing was different since she was on the run, so that fits.I did enjoy the bridge of birds reference and it made me wish there were a few more of those stories brought into the books like that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Murder
Minor: Torture
sydneyalexisreads's review against another edition
3.75
Where the first book was beautiful and imaginative, the sequel was generic and expected. I did appreciate the dual POV with Kang and Ning, but I just didn’t feel the same enchantment with this book that I felt with A Magic Steeped in Poison
theamazingfencer'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I think I enjoyed this book more than the first. It was just nice. The story seems as though it should be so hard because of the story line, which maybe it is but with the magic system I find so much levity in it. I don't feel like I have commentary on the book just a sense of 'Awww, that was good'