Reviews with content warning for Death - Unravel the Dusk

3.5⭐ CW: violence, death

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim is book 2 of the Blood of Stars duology. I've been having a really hard time with sequels in duologies lately. It's not that I don't like them, it's more that they don't grab me in the same way as the first book did. I can't even really put my finger on why.

We catch up with Maia after the events in book one. Maia struggles with her transition into becoming a demon along with using the powers of Amana's dresses. It definitely felt like Maia is surrounded by enemies: the emperor, who is cold and cruel and lets his pride take priority; lady Sarnai, who is resentful at being sold to the emperor for peace; the Shansen, a warlord trying to wrest the throne and the country from the current emperor who also has a demon on his side; the demon that cursed her; and the demon she is becoming.

Most of the book is Maia fighting the changes within her. An internal battle of dark demon magic versus the light of Amana's magic. Maia finds herself trying to hang on to the pieces of herself as they fade away the more she succumbs to the demon magic. I do wish we had gotten more from Lady Sarnai, because she is a fascinating character. A warrior princess, whom Maia believes is the only one who can bring peace. Unlike book one, this book did focus more on violence and fighting rather than on the tailoring and clothing, although some of that was still present.

For some reason, I just didn't feel as invested in the characters, and I thought the ending was a little too Deus Ex Machina for my taste. I did enjoy this author's writing, so I will probably read her other books as well. At least I finished another series!

Content Warnings

sydapel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Elizabeth Lim (by her own admission according to the author's notes) really struggles with sequels. I found an already confusing magic system becoming even less well explained, and a poorly placed plot that did little to support even it's main character's arc. I do appreciate seeing the Japanese folklore interwoven into the story, as well as Lim's focus on female leaders, but it fails to come together in a satisfying way.

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melina_30's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Nicht so gut, wie der erste Teil, aber trotzdem spannend. Die Stimmung des Buches war sehr deprimierend und hoffnungslos, daher kein Buch, was man unbedingt gerne liest... Trotzdem war es sehr gut geschrieben, spannend und ein relativ guter Abschluss der Reihe.

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jaerishyuk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense

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

4.25

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hilarylouise's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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saoreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A lot of events unfolded throughout the novel, which was overwhelming, but it was understandable from the fact that the author had a desired flow of action for its characters. There was this push and pull manner that can end up frustrating readers as there are various challenges being faced by the heroine, one of which the other voice, as the demon inside Maia, really evokes that temptation to pull her on the evil side. In trailing for the last chapters of the book, there was still that confusion tugging at the character, making you choose between good and evil. Though I appreciated how the story ended with her troubles not solved just on her own but with the involvement of those she loved and has loved, it spoke of fairytales and myths, and it spoke of life and the ordinary.

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hibou's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

pierwsza moja pisania recenzja od dłuższego czasu :D
ostatnio oglądałem Rayę i Ostatniego Smoka, więc podążając za dalekowschodnimi klimatami postanowiłem skończyć dylogię "krew gwiazd"
i nie żałowałem tego!
naprawdę, rollercoaster emocji do ostatniej strony
potwierdza to czas przeczytania przeze mnie tej książki, tj. dwa dni
im really impressed
bardzo się cieszę, że w drugim tomie przeważały te aspekty fantastyczno/przygodowe nad romantycznymi (które były przytłaczające w pierwszej części)
niektóre cytaty żywcem z literatury pięknej
5/5
jeżeli podobał wam się pierwszy tom, to ten spodoba wam się jeszcze bardziej!

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januaryt123's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing 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

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