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ardhyahayu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Finished this fast paced (or rather crammed as there is fast turn of events) sequel on one sitting.
Everything is stuffed in the sequel, the author didn't split as much in the first book.
The world building is explained everywhere, the plot is streaming fast, and we even get plot twist! The romance though, it's like the first book is shy high school romance and this one is bold adult. I came here for the romance and it didn't dissapoints.
Although it's enjoyable, I do noticed some essential character didn't get much scene and depth, and the batte scene is not that intense (it could be more, since high fantasy about kingdom in war supposed to be fun in the war scenes). The fast turn of events in the plot make me feel the need for more explanation.
What done well here is the development of the main characters, Tarik and Sepora, Also Sethos the brother, Princess Tulle, and some minor characters are interesting enough. The writing makes me feel entertained, sad, hopeful, glee, even when I rolled my eyes in some parts. It's worth the binge reading though.
The conflict reminds me of Shades of Magic trilogy yet again (maybe it's because the lack of high fantasy about kingdom that I've cared to read) and do most books has to have that kind of storyline? Twisted rulers, battle between kingdom, a disease to overtake the kingdom, roaming madness, and in the midst of all comes the romance. Yeah that's the trope but I enjoyed it hehehe
Everything is stuffed in the sequel, the author didn't split as much in the first book.
The world building is explained everywhere, the plot is streaming fast, and we even get plot twist! The romance though, it's like the first book is shy high school romance and this one is bold adult. I came here for the romance and it didn't dissapoints.
Although it's enjoyable, I do noticed some essential character didn't get much scene and depth, and the batte scene is not that intense (it could be more, since high fantasy about kingdom in war supposed to be fun in the war scenes). The fast turn of events in the plot make me feel the need for more explanation.
What done well here is the development of the main characters, Tarik and Sepora, Also Sethos the brother, Princess Tulle, and some minor characters are interesting enough. The writing makes me feel entertained, sad, hopeful, glee, even when I rolled my eyes in some parts. It's worth the binge reading though.
The conflict reminds me of Shades of Magic trilogy yet again (maybe it's because the lack of high fantasy about kingdom that I've cared to read) and do most books has to have that kind of storyline? Twisted rulers, battle between kingdom, a disease to overtake the kingdom, roaming madness, and in the midst of all comes the romance. Yeah that's the trope but I enjoyed it hehehe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Kidnapping
zanmorgan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
2.5
I loved the first book (great beginning) and the romance in this one. The stakes are high and the plot was there but the resolution is so fast and weak, it happened in between chapters (where nobody can read it). Everything kept being resolved without being shown how it was resolved. The characters just woke up and boom, everything's okay and they've won. To clarify though: I do not dislike this book at all, I like it in fact. Just that I like it, but I know it lacked a lot of elements an ending should have. I am rating it 2.5-3 stars still, because I don't want it sitting with the other books I rated 2* that I didn't like at all.
emslovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this. Honestly, I liked this a lot more than I expected to. I went in thinking the series was going to be all fluff and no substance, but I found the Egyptian feel quite enchanting. I liked the characters, and I really liked the setting. I liked that their problems felt like real problems, and not manufactured distress.
zarahhs's review against another edition
4.0
i really liked this. i enjoyed getting to know more about the other kingdoms and the different abilities people have. my heart broke apart reading that scene of nuna and sepora tho, fuck that hurt. but the ending was so beautiful. and tarik and sepora were great in this book, i really like them together. this was a great conclusion to the story.
loveisnotatriangle's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sad to say this was really disappointing. I liked a lot about NEMESIS, especially the banter and tension between Sepora and Tarik. I also really loved the way the first book ended. It's such a great cliffhanger and set everything up so well for book two. I had a lot of questions about world building that I wanted to see fleshed out in the future, but for the relationships, I enjoyed it. And I was very excited for the second part of the series.
While there were some aspects of ALLY that I liked - namely many of the parts I wanted to see more of, such as a broader and richer look at this world of five kingdoms, and greater scheming between the different nations - many more things bothered me. The first issue I had, which was a problem for me in both books, is the switching between first and third person narratives. This is a huge pet peeve of mine and always slows down the book while making the flow of the story feel choppy. Sepora narrates in first person while Tarik is in third, and I always had to readjust in each chapter, and it never got better for me. Though I could have handled it more if the story had won me over more.
The romance aspect, which is what drew me to this series, fell apart for me here. It takes until nearly the last chapter for these two to finally communicate and get on the same page, and as the book went on, Sepora and Tarik's charming banter and arguments turned into something that was just frustrating. It was too much drama and not enough communicating, especially from Tarik who never seemed to grasp why Sepora was angry with him at the start of this book. The way the end plays out did not work for me at all either. I found it to be too late coming and completely unsatisfying. . This isn't the first of this author's series that hasn't held up over time and it's definitely made me wary of attempting one again.
While there were some aspects of ALLY that I liked - namely many of the parts I wanted to see more of, such as a broader and richer look at this world of five kingdoms, and greater scheming between the different nations - many more things bothered me. The first issue I had, which was a problem for me in both books, is the switching between first and third person narratives. This is a huge pet peeve of mine and always slows down the book while making the flow of the story feel choppy. Sepora narrates in first person while Tarik is in third, and I always had to readjust in each chapter, and it never got better for me. Though I could have handled it more if the story had won me over more.
The romance aspect, which is what drew me to this series, fell apart for me here. It takes until nearly the last chapter for these two to finally communicate and get on the same page, and as the book went on, Sepora and Tarik's charming banter and arguments turned into something that was just frustrating. It was too much drama and not enough communicating, especially from Tarik who never seemed to grasp why Sepora was angry with him at the start of this book
Spoiler
then he just gave up on her! I wanted to strangle him!Spoiler
I needed to see Tarik put himself out there and fight for Sepora, not test her to see if she wants him. He's the one who stopped the engagement not her! He played it safe and was way too judgemental and unforgiving of any mistakes she made. Of course she didn't know if she could trust him before!teresaanne92's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't particularly impressed with Nemesis, not because it was bad, but because it was just a cookie cutter fantasy. Ally was everything I felt like Nemesis was lacking. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the other kingdoms, the betrayal, and Sepora and Tarik coming into their own.
thousanduniverses's review against another edition
1.0
Disappointment of the year.
What happened there!?
This was no comparison to the first book...
Was this really written by the same author!?
Everything was so off! The people behaved weird, some scenes were so freaking weird, the plot was weird, the romance was weird 😒
I‘m so disappointed. I really liked the first book and I think the world is interesting, but geez. I read half the book before I couldn’t stand it any longer and I just skimmed through the rest.
What happened there!?
This was no comparison to the first book...
Was this really written by the same author!?
Everything was so off! The people behaved weird, some scenes were so freaking weird, the plot was weird, the romance was weird 😒
I‘m so disappointed. I really liked the first book and I think the world is interesting, but geez. I read half the book before I couldn’t stand it any longer and I just skimmed through the rest.
kaitmary's review against another edition
4.0
**Originally posted on The Fandom**
After hiding in the neighboring kingdom of Theoria disguised as a servant of the young King Tarik, Princess Sepora of Serubel’s true identity has been discovered. She’s gone from a refugee and friend of the king to his fiancee. The arrangement isn’t exactly a happy one– Tarik doesn’t know how to handle Sepora’s deceit and Sepora has been enraged since she learned that Tarik planned to marry someone else before he knew she was a princess, despite their amorous connection. The two know they must play along to ensure peace between their kingdoms, but everyone seems to have their sights on the most prominent kingdom in the land and it may be too late to save Theoria from disaster.
Anna Banks strikes again with a fierce blow of political intrigue in Ally, featuring even more force than its predecessor, Nemesis. There are new figures coming into the fray, including Sepora’s father King Eron, who is quite obviously plotting against Theoria, and her concerned mother Queen Hanlyn, who wants what’s best for Sepora, no matter the cost to Serubel or Theoria. We’re also seeing a lot more from the other kingdoms, particularly Hemut, the ice nation whose beloved Princess Tulle is now precariously betrothed to Tarik’s (quite unhappy) younger brother, Sethos, after being rejected by Tarik himself. Readers are introduced to new cultural traditions and fascinating feats existing in each individual kingdom that added some great worldbuilding to the story.
The tale gets deliciously twisty as tensions build and the novel does a great job maintaining some mystery throughout. Even as dark schemes unfold, it’s hard to know who is truly behind them. When the truth does come out, the answers don’t present an easy fix for peace between the kingdoms. Theoria is threatened both inside and out, and you never really know if the kingdom can be saved– or who will be lost in the process.
The action run a little thin as it simply doesn’t seem to be author Anna Banks’ preference. The majority of the action happens “off-stage.” Either the drama doesn’t involve Tarik or Sepora directly or the writing cuts away at the opportune moment and comes back in later, suggesting a daring escape or dramatic turn of events without actually showing it. I found myself wishing we got some new perspectives from characters who were a little more involved in the story’s adventurous elements like Sethos. There is a major, compelling battle scene in the mix, however. It was short, but it definitely tapped into some big fears and presented emotional moments.
Nemesis was built on some serious romantic undertones, which makes Ally a little frustrating at times. There are some amazing romantic moments in this second novel, but Tarik and Sepora spend a lot of time denying their feelings and playing at animosity when they could be an awesome power couple diving into a wild attempt to save a fractured kingdom together. They’re right to have some reservations about one another thanks to previous secrets, but it was a little too drawn out and just started to feel like drama for the sake of drama after a while. However, There’s also some romance outside the main coupling this time around, and it’s as thoroughly adorable with a pretty badass undercurrent.
As I started to reach the last chunk of pages, I wondered if the duology was changed to a trilogy. It turns out that no, it wasn’t. The story just wraps itself up VERY quickly. I found the ending to be sweet and mostly satisfying, a quick wrap-up of two worlds colliding in spectacular fashion. I just wish we got a little more time to see it all fleshed out.
I liked Nemesis a little more than I did Ally, but I firmly believe this duology to be Anna Banks’ strongest offering yet, and I’ll be ready to read her next book when it hits shelves.
After hiding in the neighboring kingdom of Theoria disguised as a servant of the young King Tarik, Princess Sepora of Serubel’s true identity has been discovered. She’s gone from a refugee and friend of the king to his fiancee. The arrangement isn’t exactly a happy one– Tarik doesn’t know how to handle Sepora’s deceit and Sepora has been enraged since she learned that Tarik planned to marry someone else before he knew she was a princess, despite their amorous connection. The two know they must play along to ensure peace between their kingdoms, but everyone seems to have their sights on the most prominent kingdom in the land and it may be too late to save Theoria from disaster.
Anna Banks strikes again with a fierce blow of political intrigue in Ally, featuring even more force than its predecessor, Nemesis. There are new figures coming into the fray, including Sepora’s father King Eron, who is quite obviously plotting against Theoria, and her concerned mother Queen Hanlyn, who wants what’s best for Sepora, no matter the cost to Serubel or Theoria. We’re also seeing a lot more from the other kingdoms, particularly Hemut, the ice nation whose beloved Princess Tulle is now precariously betrothed to Tarik’s (quite unhappy) younger brother, Sethos, after being rejected by Tarik himself. Readers are introduced to new cultural traditions and fascinating feats existing in each individual kingdom that added some great worldbuilding to the story.
The tale gets deliciously twisty as tensions build and the novel does a great job maintaining some mystery throughout. Even as dark schemes unfold, it’s hard to know who is truly behind them. When the truth does come out, the answers don’t present an easy fix for peace between the kingdoms. Theoria is threatened both inside and out, and you never really know if the kingdom can be saved– or who will be lost in the process.
The action run a little thin as it simply doesn’t seem to be author Anna Banks’ preference. The majority of the action happens “off-stage.” Either the drama doesn’t involve Tarik or Sepora directly or the writing cuts away at the opportune moment and comes back in later, suggesting a daring escape or dramatic turn of events without actually showing it. I found myself wishing we got some new perspectives from characters who were a little more involved in the story’s adventurous elements like Sethos. There is a major, compelling battle scene in the mix, however. It was short, but it definitely tapped into some big fears and presented emotional moments.
Nemesis was built on some serious romantic undertones, which makes Ally a little frustrating at times. There are some amazing romantic moments in this second novel, but Tarik and Sepora spend a lot of time denying their feelings and playing at animosity when they could be an awesome power couple diving into a wild attempt to save a fractured kingdom together. They’re right to have some reservations about one another thanks to previous secrets, but it was a little too drawn out and just started to feel like drama for the sake of drama after a while. However, There’s also some romance outside the main coupling this time around, and it’s as thoroughly adorable with a pretty badass undercurrent.
As I started to reach the last chunk of pages, I wondered if the duology was changed to a trilogy. It turns out that no, it wasn’t. The story just wraps itself up VERY quickly. I found the ending to be sweet and mostly satisfying, a quick wrap-up of two worlds colliding in spectacular fashion. I just wish we got a little more time to see it all fleshed out.
I liked Nemesis a little more than I did Ally, but I firmly believe this duology to be Anna Banks’ strongest offering yet, and I’ll be ready to read her next book when it hits shelves.