bean1104's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
amandaniebs's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Hurts.
naomi006's review against another edition
5.0
A must read for anyone who loves YA fantasy and that enjoyed the first book!
When I started writing the review I wanted to say something about every aspect of this book. The light shined on racism and what struggles “first” people of color have to go thro, the overall plot that twists and turns and doesn’t leave you bored for even a second, the romance that made my heart burn and squeal like a little girl. I wanted to share how much I appreciated usage of all the well known romance and fantasy tropes, which would always be broken down for a wave of fresh, nontoxic air. All of this would take me so much written text that I didn’t think it was needed to simply say that this book was outstanding and worth reading.
In this story there is no space for a toxic love interest. Instead we get young people, who make mistakes, but are also able to acknowledge that what they did was wrong, apologize and learn from it. All of that within a few chapters or pages, not books. You can see all of them growing and it feel so rewarding.
William also gets more depth. He doesn't only heal and support, he is also there to ground Bree and make her realize that she was wrong and doesn’t let her off the hook easily. He does that while still being a good friend, without any of the typical unneeded conflict between friends.
Bree makes some very stupid and childish decisions at the beginning, which frustrated me and made me question if it’s the same person I known from the first book. Truth is, no many teenagers would have handled any of what happened so far as well as she did. In the rush of all the action I made her to be at least tweeny in my head, but this book reminded me of the truth. She is in the middle of a war, while demons want to rip her heart out and humans want to lock her up and control her.
Last thoughts,
To be honest with myself, all three of them are the end game for me. Together they feel unstoppable and right. At the same time I’m scared that for Bree to be happy with either one of them, the other has to back out. At this point I’m heavily team Sel, but never say never!
I love the self discovery that Bree went thro, claiming the empower as her own and separating from the expectations of any ghosts from her lines. ALSO, can we talk for a minute about her have a root created wings? Dragon form? Ekhem, dragons never die and she better keep to that saying. Because having her a dragon in this story would make it simply perfect. One, I love dragons, two, it would fit her so well. Our fierce, never stopping, brave Bree.
When I started writing the review I wanted to say something about every aspect of this book. The light shined on racism and what struggles “first” people of color have to go thro, the overall plot that twists and turns and doesn’t leave you bored for even a second, the romance that made my heart burn and squeal like a little girl. I wanted to share how much I appreciated usage of all the well known romance and fantasy tropes, which would always be broken down for a wave of fresh, nontoxic air. All of this would take me so much written text that I didn’t think it was needed to simply say that this book was outstanding and worth reading.
In this story there is no space for a toxic love interest. Instead we get young people, who make mistakes, but are also able to acknowledge that what they did was wrong, apologize and learn from it. All of that within a few chapters or pages, not books. You can see all of them growing and it feel so rewarding.
William also gets more depth. He doesn't only heal and support, he is also there to ground Bree and make her realize that she was wrong and doesn’t let her off the hook easily. He does that while still being a good friend, without any of the typical unneeded conflict between friends.
Bree makes some very stupid and childish decisions at the beginning, which frustrated me and made me question if it’s the same person I known from the first book. Truth is, no many teenagers would have handled any of what happened so far as well as she did. In the rush of all the action I made her to be at least tweeny in my head, but this book reminded me of the truth. She is in the middle of a war, while demons want to rip her heart out and humans want to lock her up and control her.
Spoiler
She cannot feel at rest even for one day, even on her birthday. The trauma that is inflicted on her in this book is easily enough to break a person into pieces that cannot be put back together. Yet she stands back up and pushes every step of the way until the end. Bree knows now the taste of betrayal from many fronts and something tells me that it’s not the end of it.Last thoughts,
Spoiler
I’m hungry to find out how Sel is gonna come back from how lost he is right now. I know for certain that he is the end game for me, so I don’t even consider that he will be lost. [Yes, I'm no longer team Nick]To be honest with myself, all three of them are the end game for me. Together they feel unstoppable and right. At the same time I’m scared that for Bree to be happy with either one of them, the other has to back out. At this point I’m heavily team Sel, but never say never!
I love the self discovery that Bree went thro, claiming the empower as her own and separating from the expectations of any ghosts from her lines. ALSO, can we talk for a minute about her have a root created wings? Dragon form? Ekhem, dragons never die and she better keep to that saying. Because having her a dragon in this story would make it simply perfect. One, I love dragons, two, it would fit her so well. Our fierce, never stopping, brave Bree.
booknerdkc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
lunarnaut's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book so fast that it knocked the wind out of my lungs. I don’t know what to say. I love this world with all of its characters so much and I don’t have the words to describe how or why. there’s probably a whole bunch of reviews that are much more eloquent but… I spent the whole time just devouring the book. I only had to wait a couple of months for it but gods was I happy when it arrived. I can’t wait to reread it.
siennabea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.5
I really like this book. It had the same amazing writing style as the last one (Legendborn). The only thing I really would say, is I would have loved to see more of the other characters, as I really did like the friendships and realationships they all have.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Bullying
mich394's review against another edition
5.0
Un finale del genere dovrebbe essere illegale... Non so come riprendermi da tutto ciò che è successo e soprattutto come superare il nostro 'Grumpy Wizard' Selwyn Kane.
Vado a sbattere la testa contro un muro.
Ci sarà un seguito, vero? VERO?
Parlando seriamente.
Un degno sequel in tutto e per tutto.
Solo un po' lenta la parte centrale, e sento che il pov di Bree e la situazione abbiano limitato almeno parzialmente il potenziale di Nick. Personaggio che ho trovato piatto nel primo libro e poco sfruttato nel secondo.
C'è anche da dire che Tracy Deonn gestisce bene le dinamiche relazionali e - per i miei personalissimi gusti - c'è un perfetto equilibrio tra trama e romance.
Vado a sbattere la testa contro un muro.
Ci sarà un seguito, vero? VERO?
Parlando seriamente.
Un degno sequel in tutto e per tutto.
Solo un po' lenta la parte centrale, e sento che il pov di Bree e la situazione abbiano limitato almeno parzialmente il potenziale di Nick. Personaggio che ho trovato piatto nel primo libro e poco sfruttato nel secondo.
C'è anche da dire che Tracy Deonn gestisce bene le dinamiche relazionali e - per i miei personalissimi gusti - c'è un perfetto equilibrio tra trama e romance.
nicolesbookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
5.0
This was so beyond phenomenal, I don't know what to do with myself. I need the third book IMMEDIATELY. Do we have a release date, Tracy!? Anything!?
This story packed a punch. Second books in a series can tend to be filler books, but I did not feel that way with this book at all, because SO MUCH HAPPENED. This was not just a book to fill time in between the events of the first book and the conclusion of the series. There were plot twists and scary moments and gentle moments and beautiful, beautiful friendship and love, all occurring in the midst of terrifying and traumatizing events and basically running for their lives. Just as action-packed as the first book!
Bree was able to learn so much more about herself and her power, both her inheritance from Arthur and her own rootcraft inheritance from Vera's line, in anticipation of a HUGE confrontation in the third book I can only imagine is coming. She was able to come into her own a bit more, grappling with learning more about her ancestral lines and coming to terms with who people want her to be versus who she really is and then deciding who she wants to be all on her own.
We meet so many new characters in this book but also get so much growth and development from the characters we already know and love.
There were so many BRELWYN moments, and I am DYING for more...
The writing in this book made me FEEL THINGS, let me tell you. The writing is masterful and lyrical and evokes so many emotions. I literally cannot wait for the next book.
This story packed a punch. Second books in a series can tend to be filler books, but I did not feel that way with this book at all, because SO MUCH HAPPENED. This was not just a book to fill time in between the events of the first book and the conclusion of the series. There were plot twists and scary moments and gentle moments and beautiful, beautiful friendship and love, all occurring in the midst of terrifying and traumatizing events and basically running for their lives. Just as action-packed as the first book!
Bree was able to learn so much more about herself and her power, both her inheritance from Arthur and her own rootcraft inheritance from Vera's line, in anticipation of a HUGE confrontation in the third book I can only imagine is coming. She was able to come into her own a bit more, grappling with learning more about her ancestral lines and coming to terms with who people want her to be versus who she really is and then deciding who she wants to be all on her own.
We meet so many new characters in this book but also get so much growth and development from the characters we already know and love.
There were so many BRELWYN moments, and I am DYING for more...
The writing in this book made me FEEL THINGS, let me tell you. The writing is masterful and lyrical and evokes so many emotions. I literally cannot wait for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Racism
Minor: Slavery and Rape