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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
crittermom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
smantler's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
serena890's review against another edition
3.0
Highlight of the entire book: Meira's reaction to seeing Mather on the rooftops of Rintiero (also why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 and the reason that I read the book despite some of the reviews I saw).
_seelie_queen_'s review against another edition
4.0
I took to long to read this, not due to the book but because of my own issues. This isn't a bad sequal. I didn't like it as much as the first one, it was a little slow but I enjoyed it and I'm excited for the last book.
chapter_break's review against another edition
4.0
The first half of this book was really difficult for me. I think for many reasons, but a lot of it was because I had forgotten so much from the first book. Then it just moved really slowly. Once I hit the tipping point though it was really hard to put down!
iamasam28's review against another edition
4.0
It had been awhile since I read the first one, but it didn't take me long to pick the story up again. I loved the first one, but I didn't like this one quite as much. It was still good, but kind of confusing. There were just so much second guessing and who is on whose side and good vs bad. I'm still looking forward to the third one though. I think this series would be best if read one right after the other, I really think the year between when I read the first and this one did me a disservice.
s_theginger's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A very slow book. The plot becomes more pronounced near the end. Had some trouble getting through it, but the end does make me want to read the last instalment. The beginning is boring as hell, but near the end, when Angra finally comes back, it becomes a little interesting again.
shaec29's review against another edition
1.0
There are so many things wrong with this book. I actually made an account to review it. This took at least 2.5 hours to write because I was so angry and confused.
The whole book is a sham. Absolutely NONE of the characters act the way they did in the first book. There are exceptions to this rule in the end, of course, but none that make it a pleasant, believable book. You can't sacrifice your characters' personalities, abilities, and attitudes for plot!! You are better off stopping after SLA and imagining how the rest of the story goes. Or go read fanfiction because I'm sure only other fans understand what was expected of this book.
Meira
In SLA, Meira was a badass who jumped out of windows, took no shit from Noam and kicked so much ass. In ILF, she seems to have suffered from a lobotomy before the book even starts. I don't understand how Meira, who had so much fire in SLA, became this bland, ineffective queen. She was full of doubt and never spoke her mind like she would have in SLA. When she FINALLY has her moment of clarity and realizes what a twit she has been (far too late in the book to make it really redeemable), she becomes the "warrior princess" she should have been from the beginning. However, better late is not better than never where this book is concerned. The majority of this book is Meira brooding like an insolent child instead of queening-up and taking charge of the people and kingdom (should be queendom since the conduit is ruled by women for Winter) she has spent her whole life trying to free.
Mather
I grew to like Mather a small bit, but only because he says the things I'm fuming about. I did like the Thaw interactions as well. While I didn't actually care about Mather's POV (I find him dull and a lackluster love interest), I appreciated his 3rd person POV vs. Meira's 1st. It was a new way of reading multiple POVs. All the emotions Sara writes for Mather seem forced. I understand she's trying to make him endearing to us, but it rubs me the wrong way.
Theron
*Le sigh.* I hate what Sara did to him. The whole book might have been salvageable had she not sacrificed an interesting and developing romance in the hopes that readers might root for the boring, wishy-washy Once-King, and plot. Theron and Meira is a lot of what made love SLA so much. He potentially sacrificed his life and the future of his kingdom for a girl, who was only important to him (or so he thought), when he allowed himself to be captured by Spring.
I guess it really all boils down into this: Theron was a good, respected, thoughtful man despite a shite king for his father. I refuse to believe he was capabled of being led down the path that he was written.
Magic
I thought I understood the magic in SLA, but it was an absolute shitshow in ILF. The Decay and with whom it interacts now is so convoluted, that I begin to wonder if Sara has ever read a sci-fi series before. Either she does a p*sspoor job of explaining all the Decay despite all the ramblings of the book, she makes it up as she writes, or she changes the rules entirely. The Decay ruined this book, although I'm sure that's not the way Sara intended the Decay to ruin things.
World-building
I normally can't get enough of world-building. I want to know everything about a world that I can when I find a series that I love. It was an instrument of torture in this book. I do want to know what the other kingdoms are like, but I can't believe a new queen would leave her refound kingdom for a grail quest around the continent or whatever.
Alas, I need sleep. This book should never have been written. Everything was forced or fabricated to suit the whims of the author. Book two could have been a spectacular finale for the story instead of this heartbreaking, anguishing travesty.
The whole book is a sham. Absolutely NONE of the characters act the way they did in the first book. There are exceptions to this rule in the end, of course, but none that make it a pleasant, believable book. You can't sacrifice your characters' personalities, abilities, and attitudes for plot!! You are better off stopping after SLA and imagining how the rest of the story goes. Or go read fanfiction because I'm sure only other fans understand what was expected of this book.
Meira
In SLA, Meira was a badass who jumped out of windows, took no shit from Noam and kicked so much ass. In ILF, she seems to have suffered from a lobotomy before the book even starts. I don't understand how Meira, who had so much fire in SLA, became this bland, ineffective queen. She was full of doubt and never spoke her mind like she would have in SLA. When she FINALLY has her moment of clarity and realizes what a twit she has been (far too late in the book to make it really redeemable), she becomes the "warrior princess" she should have been from the beginning. However, better late is not better than never where this book is concerned. The majority of this book is Meira brooding like an insolent child instead of queening-up and taking charge of the people and kingdom (should be queendom since the conduit is ruled by women for Winter) she has spent her whole life trying to free.
Mather
I grew to like Mather a small bit, but only because he says the things I'm fuming about. I did like the Thaw interactions as well. While I didn't actually care about Mather's POV (I find him dull and a lackluster love interest), I appreciated his 3rd person POV vs. Meira's 1st. It was a new way of reading multiple POVs. All the emotions Sara writes for Mather seem forced. I understand she's trying to make him endearing to us, but it rubs me the wrong way.
Theron
*Le sigh.* I hate what Sara did to him. The whole book might have been salvageable had she not sacrificed an interesting and developing romance in the hopes that readers might root for the boring, wishy-washy Once-King, and plot.
Spoiler
I don't understand how the Decay could have taken root in Theron. There was no hint of it in him in SLA, which begs me to believe that she added it for plot. (See rant about magic and Decay) Theron in SLA was interested in art and books, nothing political whatsoever, so I am genuinely confused about his sudden urge to the great equalizer. In SLA, Theron understands Angra's hatred of Winter (even though I'm still unsure why after two books) and can't fathom why his father thought Angra could be reasoned with. His whole plotline is so utterly outlandish and ridiculous that I regret reading this book. The only time we see the real Theron is in the last page or two of the book when he clearly cares for Meira.I guess it really all boils down into this: Theron was a good, respected, thoughtful man despite a shite king for his father. I refuse to believe he was capabled of being led down the path that he was written.
Magic
I thought I understood the magic in SLA, but it was an absolute shitshow in ILF. The Decay and with whom it interacts now is so convoluted, that I begin to wonder if Sara has ever read a sci-fi series before. Either she does a p*sspoor job of explaining all the Decay despite all the ramblings of the book, she makes it up as she writes, or she changes the rules entirely. The Decay ruined this book, although I'm sure that's not the way Sara intended the Decay to ruin things.
World-building
I normally can't get enough of world-building. I want to know everything about a world that I can when I find a series that I love. It was an instrument of torture in this book. I do want to know what the other kingdoms are like, but I can't believe a new queen would leave her refound kingdom for a grail quest around the continent or whatever.
Alas, I need sleep. This book should never have been written. Everything was forced or fabricated to suit the whims of the author. Book two could have been a spectacular finale for the story instead of this heartbreaking, anguishing travesty.