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A review by adriannasophiabookss
A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
3.0
I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Steeped in Chinese mythology and fantastical world building, this is a beautiful fantasy duology. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book as I really loved the competition element in A Magic Steeped in Poison and that is all over in this book obviously. This one has more of an adventure/quest theme.
A Venom Dark and Sweet took a complete left turn compared to the other book! I both loved this and was unsure at the same time. I am a sucker for dual POV’s, I love that we see Kang’s point of view (even if it’s in third person) and Ning’s as well. It gives us a broader understanding on what is going on in different parts of the plot. There is a lot of political intrigue and strategy in this one as well which I enjoyed.
This world and magic system is so richly developed, sometimes I get confused with a complex system and a lot of mythology to remember but the author explained everything well and if didn’t feel like the information was dumped on me, it flowed freely with the story. Again, as with the first book, food is so richly described, don’t read this while hungry!
My main issue with this book is a lack of character development which was also my only issue with the first book. In my opinion the main character Ning is extremely unlikeable and one dimensional. A lot of the side characters feel well developed but just like with the first book, Ning is extremely flat and I honestly couldn’t even tell you what she looks like or how her personality is even after reading two books from her point of view. I felt more connected to Kang as a character and his point of view was entirely in third person not first. I will say that I found the romance between Kang and Ning to be a lot more believable in this book though. My other issue is the fact that the ending felt very rushed, most of the book is a slow build up to a climax and I felt the end result didn’t live up to that. I do think the duology was concluded well though and I was satisfied with the ending overall.
Judy I. Lin is an incredibly talented writer and for a debut duology this is absolutely fantastic. The writing style, world building, and magic system was all brilliant. I would definitely love to see what this author writes in the future! I definitely recommend this duology, especially if you enjoy mythological elements and a unique magic system!
3.5 stars
Steeped in Chinese mythology and fantastical world building, this is a beautiful fantasy duology. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book as I really loved the competition element in A Magic Steeped in Poison and that is all over in this book obviously. This one has more of an adventure/quest theme.
A Venom Dark and Sweet took a complete left turn compared to the other book! I both loved this and was unsure at the same time. I am a sucker for dual POV’s, I love that we see Kang’s point of view (even if it’s in third person) and Ning’s as well. It gives us a broader understanding on what is going on in different parts of the plot. There is a lot of political intrigue and strategy in this one as well which I enjoyed.
This world and magic system is so richly developed, sometimes I get confused with a complex system and a lot of mythology to remember but the author explained everything well and if didn’t feel like the information was dumped on me, it flowed freely with the story. Again, as with the first book, food is so richly described, don’t read this while hungry!
My main issue with this book is a lack of character development which was also my only issue with the first book. In my opinion the main character Ning is extremely unlikeable and one dimensional. A lot of the side characters feel well developed but just like with the first book, Ning is extremely flat and I honestly couldn’t even tell you what she looks like or how her personality is even after reading two books from her point of view. I felt more connected to Kang as a character and his point of view was entirely in third person not first. I will say that I found the romance between Kang and Ning to be a lot more believable in this book though. My other issue is the fact that the ending felt very rushed, most of the book is a slow build up to a climax and I felt the end result didn’t live up to that. I do think the duology was concluded well though and I was satisfied with the ending overall.
Judy I. Lin is an incredibly talented writer and for a debut duology this is absolutely fantastic. The writing style, world building, and magic system was all brilliant. I would definitely love to see what this author writes in the future! I definitely recommend this duology, especially if you enjoy mythological elements and a unique magic system!