the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Not a huge fan of this cover. It's a little TOO busy in my opinion. I much prefer the cover for book one.
After I finished book one (The Progeny) last year I wanted to cry over the cliffhanger we were left with. Now finally a year later we have book two. And I LOVED it. Not as much as book one, but it was still a phenomenal follow-up (conclusion??) to this series. 
Again we have the same fantastic writing. Crazy breakneck pace (more about this in a minute). Twists and turns. Great main characters and an excellent array of secondary characters. So what not 5-Stars? This one had a little less "meat" if you will. The pace was SO fast it was RUN RUN RUN for the entire book. I missed the history and background the first book had. Everything from the characters, the history, even the romance between Audra and Luka seemed to take a backseat to the action. That certainly wasn't a bad thing per se, just made this one slightly less preferable to the first.
That said this one was still a fabulous read. I am not sure if there will be more in this series. I hope so. We are saved from a crazy cliffy, but it still felt like there was more story yet to be told as there were a few loose ends still flapping in the wind. All in all two thumbs up from your truly!
narnianbrigette's review
4.0
There’s a lot that I really really like about this book and this duology as a whole, and yet I can’t say that I really love it. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this as much as I feel like I should.
I love the concept of it; I had never heard of Elizabeth Bathory before I read this series, so it was really intriguing to learn even just a little more about this area of history and how the author uses it for the conflict between the two groups of people who are/were affected by her legacy.
One thing I have mixed feelings about are the powers, mainly with the Progeny. I kind of understand their powers, but at the same time, I don't? Maybe I forgot about an explanation in the first book that laid out the ground rules, but it feels like they fluctuate. One moment Audra is able to mentally “persuade” a ton of people at once, though it causes her massive nosebleeds and wears her out, and then in another moment she does the same thing but she's fine? And then in the end she takes down an entire plane like it's nothing? Idk, maybe I missed something.
And the ending itself I have mixed feelings about. Everything leading up to it was great and suspenseful, but I'm not sure how I feel about how easy it was to take out the Historian/Luke's mom. I'm okay with the reveal that his mom is the Historian, but I wish we'd had the time to develop that more and that it took more effort to fight her and defeat her after all that. Same with Serge. He's revealed as a villain, then within a few pages he's defeated too. Just felt a little anticlimactic to me.
And I'm also not sure about the book ending with Audra’s mother actually be alive. After the entirety of two books spent with Audra finding out about her mother, grieving her, accepting her sacrifice, and carrying on her legacy and work by protecting her own daughter Eva, it feels a little like a cop out for her to actually be alive all along. Maybe that's just me though.
So yeah, lots of mixed feelings. Some parts I really, really like, and others not so much. I'm giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the Goodreads rating.
I love the concept of it; I had never heard of Elizabeth Bathory before I read this series, so it was really intriguing to learn even just a little more about this area of history and how the author uses it for the conflict between the two groups of people who are/were affected by her legacy.
Spoiler
I also think Audra is a great, well-rounded protagonist, and the relationship between her and Luka is so sweet. I love how they both support each other and how they disagree sometimes but then try to work it out. It feels like such a realistic relationship, and it might be my favorite part of this series. The other characters are pretty cool too, but none really stand out to me, I guess.One thing I have mixed feelings about are the powers, mainly with the Progeny. I kind of understand their powers, but at the same time, I don't? Maybe I forgot about an explanation in the first book that laid out the ground rules, but it feels like they fluctuate. One moment Audra is able to mentally “persuade” a ton of people at once, though it causes her massive nosebleeds and wears her out, and then in another moment she does the same thing but she's fine? And then in the end she takes down an entire plane like it's nothing? Idk, maybe I missed something.
And the ending itself I have mixed feelings about. Everything leading up to it was great and suspenseful, but I'm not sure how I feel about how easy it was to take out the Historian/Luke's mom. I'm okay with the reveal that his mom is the Historian, but I wish we'd had the time to develop that more and that it took more effort to fight her and defeat her after all that. Same with Serge. He's revealed as a villain, then within a few pages he's defeated too. Just felt a little anticlimactic to me.
And I'm also not sure about the book ending with Audra’s mother actually be alive. After the entirety of two books spent with Audra finding out about her mother, grieving her, accepting her sacrifice, and carrying on her legacy and work by protecting her own daughter Eva, it feels a little like a cop out for her to actually be alive all along. Maybe that's just me though.
So yeah, lots of mixed feelings. Some parts I really, really like, and others not so much. I'm giving it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the Goodreads rating.
storiedadventures's review against another edition
5.0
I am so happy and thankful to have received this book a few weeks before release! Thank you so much, Tosca Lee and Howard Books!
This book was fast paced, anxiety inducing, heart hammering, goodness! I loved every moment of it! I thought that Audra was fairly relatable (minus the power thing) with how she would die for those she loved. And her devotion to her family was wonderful! And that ending!!!!
The only really minor complaint I have is that sometimes it was so fast paced that I had to reread a paragraph a few times to understand what was happening. But it really is a minor complaint! I truly enjoyed this book!
This book was fast paced, anxiety inducing, heart hammering, goodness! I loved every moment of it! I thought that Audra was fairly relatable (minus the power thing) with how she would die for those she loved. And her devotion to her family was wonderful! And that ending!!!!
The only really minor complaint I have is that sometimes it was so fast paced that I had to reread a paragraph a few times to understand what was happening. But it really is a minor complaint! I truly enjoyed this book!
shelfreflectionofficial's review against another edition
5.0
I would recommend reading this book right after the first one. I waited awhile before I was able to read this one and it took a bit to remember all the details from the first book and I don’t think I appreciated some of the connections as much as I would have had the first book been on the forefront of my mind. Despite the delay, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was fast-paced and took some unexpected turns, and resolved itself which I appreciate in a book. I love books that incorporate history and I thought she did a good job of weaving the legend into the story. I also enjoyed seeing her Pinterest board with pictures of the actual places and things used in the story. I think my one, I guess, 'question' with the storyline is that the monk had told her she needed to figure out how to use her powers better or they would destroy her. That the more she acts out of desperation, the more it will cost her. We saw that in her nosebleeds and such as she tried to do larger tasks. But even the event at the end seemed out of desperation and it didn’t seem to affect her, and if it wasn’t out of desperation we see only a small glimpse of the process it took to get to this point. I feel like there was a piece missing to that aspect of her story, something that didn’t quite come to fruition. But I digress. Looking forward to her next book!
aly36's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the character, Audra Ellison, in this book. There were some unexpected things happen in this book for me some good and some not so good. I think that made this book so much better. This set of book has some magic and great characters and supernatural and more. I was blown away by how much I loved this series. Great job, Tasca Lee! *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
moj8668's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful Sequel
When the first book in a series absolutely captivates you, there is a small fear that the sequel may not live up to expectations. But that’s not a problem here! Firstborn exceeds every expectation I had for the second book in this series. Yet again, Tosca leaves her readers on the edge of their seats, not wanting to put the book down until the final page has been read.
When the first book in a series absolutely captivates you, there is a small fear that the sequel may not live up to expectations. But that’s not a problem here! Firstborn exceeds every expectation I had for the second book in this series. Yet again, Tosca leaves her readers on the edge of their seats, not wanting to put the book down until the final page has been read.
thehobbitkhaleesi's review against another edition
5.0
Aglhjriendhchamcgzchx. That's what my brain sounds like right now. Hoooooly cow. I think my brain exploded. At least twice. Usually I can see the plot twists coming. Hahaha NOPE.
*bows in respect*
Tosca Lee, you are the queen of unpredictability. I can't even right now. At all.
Thing I CAN see coming:
Worst. Book hangover. Ever.
Read this humans!!
*bows in respect*
Tosca Lee, you are the queen of unpredictability. I can't even right now. At all.
Thing I CAN see coming:
Worst. Book hangover. Ever.
Read this humans!!
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Not a huge fan of this cover. It's a little TOO busy in my opinion. I much prefer the cover for book one. After I finished book one (The Progeny) last year I wanted to cry over the cliffhanger we were left with. Now finally a year later we have book two. And I LOVED it. Not as much as book one, but it was still a phenomenal follow-up (conclusion??) to this series. Again we have the same fantastic writing. Crazy breakneck pace (more about this in a minute). Twists and turns. Great main characters and an excellent array of secondary characters. So what not 5-Stars? This one had a little less "meat" if you will. The pace was SO fast it was RUN RUN RUN for the entire book. I missed the history and background the first book had. Everything from the characters, the history, even the romance between Audra and Luka seemed to take a backseat to the action. That certainly wasn't a bad thing per se, just made this one slightly less preferable to the first.
That said this one was still a fabulous read. I am not sure if there will be more in this series. I hope so. We are saved from a crazy cliffy, but it still felt like there was more story yet to be told as there were a few loose ends still flapping in the wind. All in all two thumbs up from your truly!
taytaybomar7's review against another edition
5.0
An incredibly riveting story that deserves an immense amount of praise. It was the first book I read after an 8 month long reading hiatus, and it did not disapppoint!!
aprilsarah's review against another edition
3.0
I can't tell you how excited I was to finally get my hands on a copy of this book. There were so many questions left by the first book that I just needed to be answered. And boy was this one a whirlwind of a story.
The settings (and clothing) were once again beautifully laid out. And the pacing of this book, holy cow, you could never stop to breathe. The action, and hits, just kept on coming.
I struggled a bit with the pacing because of that. At points, the continues running got repetitive and frustrating. I wanted to learn things and get to know the characters but it never felt like I did. I wanted to make connections that never felt fully flushed out. Everything felt surface level.
While the story did get rounded out there were still some ends that I wanted to be wrapped up, or just further information on. It all felt so open-ended. And I guess to some extent that is what life is, but here it left me a little bereft. All this build up and then... well one simple thing and that was it.
Now I do like some of the things that the story brought up, the struggle of looking at the world as black and white, what it means to be in the wrong or right side. There is a lot there, but I feel like there could have been more.
Overall I did enjoy this read and the story it was trying to tell, I just felt like there could have been more.
Full Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvohs29ztSY
The settings (and clothing) were once again beautifully laid out. And the pacing of this book, holy cow, you could never stop to breathe. The action, and hits, just kept on coming.
I struggled a bit with the pacing because of that. At points, the continues running got repetitive and frustrating. I wanted to learn things and get to know the characters but it never felt like I did. I wanted to make connections that never felt fully flushed out. Everything felt surface level.
While the story did get rounded out there were still some ends that I wanted to be wrapped up, or just further information on. It all felt so open-ended. And I guess to some extent that is what life is, but here it left me a little bereft. All this build up and then... well one simple thing and that was it.
Now I do like some of the things that the story brought up, the struggle of looking at the world as black and white, what it means to be in the wrong or right side. There is a lot there, but I feel like there could have been more.
Overall I did enjoy this read and the story it was trying to tell, I just felt like there could have been more.
Full Video Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvohs29ztSY