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shannonscotteditorauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Ohhhhhhhh, my God, ohmygod, ohmygod!!! The last 50 pages of this book alone make the series worth reading! All I kept thinking was, "There's not enough pages left, there's not enough pages left!!!!"
writtenbywomen's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-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
2.25
This book felt incredibly rushed. The pacing was good…that is, until the end, when it seemed like the story needed to tie up all the loose ends it unknowingly created. This series could have benefitted from a third book, as Isa and Eva’s slowly healing relationship was incredibly compelling, but it lost its intrigue after its rushed resolution. Similarly Eva and Aketo’s journey toward trust in the book could have been really built upon in a third book. Maybe Eva should have felt a little more betrayed by Aketo for keeping such a big secret from her about her family; that would’ve been a great place to start off in the third book as they began to rebuild their trust and explore their apparently obvious love for each other that was seemingly just supposed to be assumed (and unquestioned) by the reader.
The pov switches were undercooked; Ysai could have been a great addition to this complex cast of characters, but her stiff, one-dimensional pov (along with the aforementioned issue of such a large story being stuffed into two books) made it difficult to feel anything towards her admittedly forgettable character. A third book could have allowed space and time to explore the Tribe more, and could have provided readers with a more high-stakes trial than the two-page trial Eva was essentially given. Finally, the third book could have delved into the mother’s pov, thus rounding her out as a formidable yet nuanced villain.
Aside from my avid belief that this series could have used a third book, I still enjoyed parts of it. Baccha is by far my favorite character. He was a great light in this reading journey and was so unknowable that he felt like a true, well-rounded character (at least in the first book) The magic(k) was unlike anything I had read before, so naturally it was intriguing and I was left wanting to know more about the magic(k) system. And Baccha once again was an ICON.
The pov switches were undercooked; Ysai could have been a great addition to this complex cast of characters, but her stiff, one-dimensional pov (along with the aforementioned issue of such a large story being stuffed into two books) made it difficult to feel anything towards her admittedly forgettable character. A third book could have allowed space and time to explore the Tribe more, and could have provided readers with a more high-stakes trial than the two-page trial Eva was essentially given. Finally, the third book could have delved into the mother’s pov, thus rounding her out as a formidable yet nuanced villain.
Aside from my avid belief that this series could have used a third book, I still enjoyed parts of it. Baccha is by far my favorite character. He was a great light in this reading journey and was so unknowable that he felt like a true, well-rounded character (at least in the first book) The magic(k) was unlike anything I had read before, so naturally it was intriguing and I was left wanting to know more about the magic(k) system. And Baccha once again was an ICON.
cherri350's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
labyrinthofstars's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
robinhood2000's review against another edition
5.0
It started Out slower than the First book and the last 100 pages I felt a bit stressed because a lot seemed unresolved but I absolutely loved it! Just wish I got more of the characters. Would like a third book, but it really was a nice series that I will reread.
elvia_a's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this very much, better than the first book I think. Still a few lack lustre moments but still pretty good.
My review coming soon on my blog: https://markedforgreatreads.wordpress.com/
See my review on the first book here: https://markedforgreatreads.wordpress.com/2021/07/29/book-review-a-river-of-royal-blood/
My review coming soon on my blog: https://markedforgreatreads.wordpress.com/
See my review on the first book here: https://markedforgreatreads.wordpress.com/2021/07/29/book-review-a-river-of-royal-blood/