lolasreviews's review
4.0
Allies was another great book in the Lily Singer series! I really enjoyed this one. I do admit it took me a while to get into the book, not sure why. So the start felt a bit slow, but after having read a chapter or so I really got into the book. By then I quickly got invested and wanted to keep reading. The story picks off shortly after the end of book 2 and deals with the aftermath of what happened at the end of book 2. There's a bad guy they're dealing with and want to try and stop, but some other things as well. We also find out more about what the bad guy is up to and meet some new side characters.
I felt the tone of this book was slightly more serious than the first two books, which made sense given the direction the story took, but at times I did miss the more carefree adventurous feel of the first two books. There were some great developments in this one and I liked seeing where the story went. There's a lot going on and it was great seeing how the characters dealt with this new threat. And with the way things end I am really looking forward to delve into book 4 soon.
Like the first two books, this book is again split up into two episodes with an interlude in between told from Sebastian's point of view. We don't see as much of Sebastian in the first part of the first episode as I would've liked, but it was nice to get the interlude after that and see what Sebastian had been up to in that time. I loved seeing the dynamic between Sebastian and Lily in this book and how they maybe slowly are inching towards admitting their feelings. It's the perfect slow burn romance! And they are so fun to read about.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was seeing Lily change in this book. Having been through some difficult stuff at the end of book 2 she now has to deal with that and I liked how she did her best to adjust her attitude at times. I also felt like she acted very realistically, she doesn't change overnight and she does make the same mistake, if you can call it that, again in this book. But that just seems to make her more human and it's part of her personality. It was great to see how she handled things in this book and I feel like she's really growing into her own. She also learns more about magic and grows in that aspect as well.
This book was again very well written and I love spending time in this world and series. There are new things we learn about the world int his one and also about the magic. There are some interesting things Lily learns and discovers in this book. One things I am not sure what to think of is how some fictional character might have been real after all, not sure why, but it just felt a bit off to me. But really that's only a minor thing. We'll see how I feel about that in the next book as it seems that will play a bigger part then.
This book is filled with new challenges for the characters and I enjoyed seeing how they all faced this. I also loved how we got to see even more of Sir Kipling in this book. It felt like he played an even bigger role and accompanied Lily more often and interfered in her life more often. It was fun as I really like Sir Kipling and his snarky personality.
To summarize: if you love a good urban fantasy series with realistic characters I can't recommend this series enough! This book was another great read and I loved reading about all the changes and developments in this book. We see more of Sir Kipling in this book, which was great. And I really liked seeing Lily change a bit in this book as a result of what she has had to deal with so far. She feels like such a realistic character with flaws and strengths and I enjoyed seeing how she dealt with everything going on. The tone of this book did seem a tad more serious than the first two books, but that makes sense given there dealing with trying to stop a bad guy now. The slow burn romance moves slowly along and I liked seeing the small changes in Lily and Sebastian their relationship. There are some new things to discover about the world and magic and some new side characters that get introduced. It was a great read and by the time I finished this one I was just glad I could start book 4 soon as I wanted more!
I felt the tone of this book was slightly more serious than the first two books, which made sense given the direction the story took, but at times I did miss the more carefree adventurous feel of the first two books. There were some great developments in this one and I liked seeing where the story went. There's a lot going on and it was great seeing how the characters dealt with this new threat. And with the way things end I am really looking forward to delve into book 4 soon.
Like the first two books, this book is again split up into two episodes with an interlude in between told from Sebastian's point of view. We don't see as much of Sebastian in the first part of the first episode as I would've liked, but it was nice to get the interlude after that and see what Sebastian had been up to in that time. I loved seeing the dynamic between Sebastian and Lily in this book and how they maybe slowly are inching towards admitting their feelings. It's the perfect slow burn romance! And they are so fun to read about.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was seeing Lily change in this book. Having been through some difficult stuff at the end of book 2 she now has to deal with that and I liked how she did her best to adjust her attitude at times. I also felt like she acted very realistically, she doesn't change overnight and she does make the same mistake, if you can call it that, again in this book. But that just seems to make her more human and it's part of her personality. It was great to see how she handled things in this book and I feel like she's really growing into her own. She also learns more about magic and grows in that aspect as well.
This book was again very well written and I love spending time in this world and series. There are new things we learn about the world int his one and also about the magic. There are some interesting things Lily learns and discovers in this book. One things I am not sure what to think of is how some fictional character might have been real after all, not sure why, but it just felt a bit off to me. But really that's only a minor thing. We'll see how I feel about that in the next book as it seems that will play a bigger part then.
This book is filled with new challenges for the characters and I enjoyed seeing how they all faced this. I also loved how we got to see even more of Sir Kipling in this book. It felt like he played an even bigger role and accompanied Lily more often and interfered in her life more often. It was fun as I really like Sir Kipling and his snarky personality.
To summarize: if you love a good urban fantasy series with realistic characters I can't recommend this series enough! This book was another great read and I loved reading about all the changes and developments in this book. We see more of Sir Kipling in this book, which was great. And I really liked seeing Lily change a bit in this book as a result of what she has had to deal with so far. She feels like such a realistic character with flaws and strengths and I enjoyed seeing how she dealt with everything going on. The tone of this book did seem a tad more serious than the first two books, but that makes sense given there dealing with trying to stop a bad guy now. The slow burn romance moves slowly along and I liked seeing the small changes in Lily and Sebastian their relationship. There are some new things to discover about the world and magic and some new side characters that get introduced. It was a great read and by the time I finished this one I was just glad I could start book 4 soon as I wanted more!
lolasreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook Review
I really enjoyed my re-read of this book, this time in audio. The audiobooks for this series are done so well, the narrator does such an amazing job with this series. Her narration is really spot on and I like how she brings the characters to live. And I love this series, so it's a joy to be able to re-experience them in this way.
I also was surprised with how much I forgot about this book, mostly the second half of this book.
It's great to see how Lily develops in this book. I wns't a fan of the scenes with Agent Grant, especially knowing what will happen next and I always have been team Sebastian. But luckily there are some great scenes with Sebastian as well in this book and I love seeing their relationship deepen.
If you enjoy urban fantasy books, I can't recommend this series enough. Whether in ebook or in audiobook, it's a great experience either way.
I really enjoyed my re-read of this book, this time in audio. The audiobooks for this series are done so well, the narrator does such an amazing job with this series. Her narration is really spot on and I like how she brings the characters to live. And I love this series, so it's a joy to be able to re-experience them in this way.
I also was surprised with how much I forgot about this book, mostly the second half of this book.
It's great to see how Lily develops in this book. I wns't a fan of the scenes with Agent Grant, especially knowing what will happen next and I always have been team Sebastian. But luckily there are some great scenes with Sebastian as well in this book and I love seeing their relationship deepen.
If you enjoy urban fantasy books, I can't recommend this series enough. Whether in ebook or in audiobook, it's a great experience either way.
drlori14's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shai3d's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
melodrama44's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
slc333's review against another edition
4.0
These are getting more interesting with each instalment, It bugs me how judgy and rude/grumpy Lily always is with Seb tho. While never a fan of Tina I was actually kind of glad when she called Lil on this. I felt sorry for Lil with the whole Richard thing tho.
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
Who wouldn't want to find out who their father is? Well, turns out that Lily didn't want to. This book picks up right where book 2 left off, and now that Lily knows who her father is, she has to rally the troops, gathering up as many allies as she can, to try and stop him from carrying out his ultimate plan.
The book continues the pattern of the first two, with two stories told from Lily's point of view and a related interlude in between the two that is told from Sebastian's point of view. I don't want to give away too much, as things are really starting to heat up. But I will say that if you liked the first two books, then I see no reason why you wouldn't also like this one. So go ahead and read it. You won't be disappointed. Well, you might - it is a small possibility - but I don't think you will.
The book continues the pattern of the first two, with two stories told from Lily's point of view and a related interlude in between the two that is told from Sebastian's point of view. I don't want to give away too much, as things are really starting to heat up. But I will say that if you liked the first two books, then I see no reason why you wouldn't also like this one. So go ahead and read it. You won't be disappointed. Well, you might - it is a small possibility - but I don't think you will.
stephbookshine's review
5.0
This series just keeps getting better! I love these books so much that having received the first one as a free ARC ebook I went ahead and bought all four in paperback and got them signed by the author via post!
Allies is the third book in the series and, as in the previous two, the author has divided the book into two separate ‘episodes’, broken by an ‘interlude’ short from Sebastian’s point of view. I think that this format works really well with the light, fun, easy style of the writing and drives the plot in a similar way to separate episodes of a tv series: each episode follows a shorter arc, but slots in to the bigger story.
The plot (smaller and larger) is great fun, with action-adventure interspersed with a bit of romantic comedy (the area where Lily is definitely at her least competent!).
As always though it is the characters that win it for me, and as the title makes clear, they are the main focus of this book. Lily and Sebastian are as quirkily wonderful as ever, and Mr Kipling is at his snarky-softie best; but the side characters are also engagingly individual. Madam B, Lily’s family, Tina, Richard and most recently Allen: they are not all perfect or heroic, but they are all distinct and believable, and the relationships and interactions are natural.
Very excited to move on to the fourth installment (just as soon as I’ve cleared some more of my TBR pile!)…
Allies is the third book in the series and, as in the previous two, the author has divided the book into two separate ‘episodes’, broken by an ‘interlude’ short from Sebastian’s point of view. I think that this format works really well with the light, fun, easy style of the writing and drives the plot in a similar way to separate episodes of a tv series: each episode follows a shorter arc, but slots in to the bigger story.
The plot (smaller and larger) is great fun, with action-adventure interspersed with a bit of romantic comedy (the area where Lily is definitely at her least competent!).
As always though it is the characters that win it for me, and as the title makes clear, they are the main focus of this book. Lily and Sebastian are as quirkily wonderful as ever, and Mr Kipling is at his snarky-softie best; but the side characters are also engagingly individual. Madam B, Lily’s family, Tina, Richard and most recently Allen: they are not all perfect or heroic, but they are all distinct and believable, and the relationships and interactions are natural.
Very excited to move on to the fourth installment (just as soon as I’ve cleared some more of my TBR pile!)…