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allisonbrooke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
yaoipaddle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I did not like this as much as the first book. Sorry! Minor spoilers in review, major ones hidden.
It had a very similar problem to the first book where the beginning and middle drag on and the end is SUPER fast paced and action packed.
For characters, I found Ning to be less likeable than in the first book. Maybe because she feels very repetitive and single minded in everything she does here. She also has a lot of rage that comes quite suddenly and remains for a lot of the book. I just didn't like her as much because of it. The very frequent moments where she was pining after Kang also annoyed me.I also found this concept of her wanting to give in to the serpent's demands for power just shoehorned in for "tension"
What I did like was the magic and the growth of her powers. I think Lin did a wonderful job creating the magic system in the first book and it does not disappoint in the second either. I think the ways in which it was expanded were nice.
Shu was a lot more likeable than I thoughtBut she is basically thrown off and not mentioned in the last parts of the book. Very lame! and Zhen and Ruyi were great too. I wish there was more of them.
I liked the chapters from Kang's point of view especially by the middle. They kept me reading despite the lull in Ning's storyline. The mystery in them was quite interesting even though some of the parts felt like they were forgotten by the end of the story. :/
Overall I felt let down by the book because the pacing was always either too slow or too rushed. It made the story a drag to read through and I forced myself to push through the middle.
It had a very similar problem to the first book where the beginning and middle drag on and the end is SUPER fast paced and action packed.
For characters, I found Ning to be less likeable than in the first book. Maybe because she feels very repetitive and single minded in everything she does here. She also has a lot of rage that comes quite suddenly and remains for a lot of the book. I just didn't like her as much because of it. The very frequent moments where she was pining after Kang also annoyed me.
What I did like was the magic and the growth of her powers. I think Lin did a wonderful job creating the magic system in the first book and it does not disappoint in the second either. I think the ways in which it was expanded were nice.
Shu was a lot more likeable than I thought
I liked the chapters from Kang's point of view especially by the middle. They kept me reading despite the lull in Ning's storyline. The mystery in them was quite interesting even though some of the parts felt like they were forgotten by the end of the story. :/
Overall I felt let down by the book because the pacing was always either too slow or too rushed. It made the story a drag to read through and I forced myself to push through the middle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Writing: 3.5⭐️/5
I’m torn on this one. Some of the passages were beautifully crafted, little snippets of perfectly crafted prose. Then, at other times, the writing (and grammar) was jilted and murky, their disjointedness making it hard to follow the simplest of moments. Lin also has a tendency to use sentence fragments and, while that can add to certain scenes, it often read more like a mistake, and less like an intentional choice. This jarringness really marred the otherwise lovely writing. So, if you’re picking up this novel, expect both fine and poor prose to appear.
Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
The characters were the highlight of the novel, along with several poetic passages that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like the first novel in this series, the characters were loveable and believable, helping to keep me engaged when the plot and writing were pulling me out of the story.
Plot: 3.75⭐️/5
The second half of the plot was infinitely stronger than the first portion of the book. While the first book ended with a great amount of tension and intrigue, the second book felt like it was actively working to slow down the momentum of the plot. It became a bit of a chore to read through the first 150 or so pages, but once the story got going it was an easy read.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Those who read the first
Content Warnings?
War, blood, poison, death
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and War
rtaire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and War
Minor: Animal death and Torture
queergoth_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received this eARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.
This picks up straight after the events of A Magic Steeped in Poison. I don't want to spoil that for anyone that hasn't read it so I'll keep it vague. We follow Ning as she journeys across the kingdom, not knowing who to trust or where she belongs, but determined to save it.
The second book had a different feel to the first one for me. It was darker and while it still focuses heavily on magic, it wasn't quite in the same way as the first. I guess the strong focus on Ning developing her magic in the first book was to introduce the magic system but I just the ceremonies and problem solving of the first one. This one focuses more on the threats to the kingdom and the journey taken to save it and I would have liked a blend of the two a little more.
I still really enjoyed this though. The magic and mythology are so wonderfully weaved into this story and the author does an amazing job of making you care about every character, even if they have a relatively small part. And as always, I love a good description of food in books and this book gives me that and more.
This picks up straight after the events of A Magic Steeped in Poison. I don't want to spoil that for anyone that hasn't read it so I'll keep it vague. We follow Ning as she journeys across the kingdom, not knowing who to trust or where she belongs, but determined to save it.
The second book had a different feel to the first one for me. It was darker and while it still focuses heavily on magic, it wasn't quite in the same way as the first. I guess the strong focus on Ning developing her magic in the first book was to introduce the magic system but I just the ceremonies and problem solving of the first one. This one focuses more on the threats to the kingdom and the journey taken to save it and I would have liked a blend of the two a little more.
I still really enjoyed this though. The magic and mythology are so wonderfully weaved into this story and the author does an amazing job of making you care about every character, even if they have a relatively small part. And as always, I love a good description of food in books and this book gives me that and more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
heatherjchin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Blood
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very solid sequel to the first book and a good conclusion to the duology. It's so rare to have a 2 book series be complete, just about everything's a trilogy these days. But despite being two slim-ish volumes, there was plenty of action and worldbuilding.
The tea aspect was pushed a little bit further than the metaphysic really seemed to support (like when she put her magic in the soup- I mean sure, I can see the reasoning but it seemed a bit like a "I need this to happen so it does"). And the details seemed a bit more rushed and less complex than in the first book. But I suppose the pacing was different since she was on the run, so that fits.
I did enjoy the bridge of birds reference and it made me wish there were a few more of those stories brought into the books like that.
I did enjoy the bridge of birds reference and it made me wish there were a few more of those stories brought into the books like that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and War
Minor: Torture
risten's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Torture, Blood, Grief, and Murder
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.5
The final installment to this duology did not disappoint. There were a few slow parts, but overall, I loved how Lin shifted the story from just Ning to the entire kingdom of Daxi. One of the most unique stories I’ve read, and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War