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A review by booksbythewindow
Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
fast-paced
(Full review to come)
Summary: Unravel the Dusk continues the story of Maia, now returned to the Autumn Palace but concealing the disastrous effects of her encounter with the demon Bandur at the climax of Spin the Dawn. Her problems continue to build, however, as she finds herself still in the middle of the negotiations of the political marriage between the Emperor and Lady Sarnai, an alliance intended to bring peace to both nations. However, it soon becomes clear that more is at work in the war than had been previously guessed, and Maia will soon have to confront both the demon within and the demons out in the world as she strives to put an end to the war.
Overall Thoughts: Going into this second instalment of the Blood of Stars duology, Maia continues to be an engaging protagonist, and the tension caused by her slow transformation throughout the narrative keeps the reader gripped with her story. It was particularly enjoyable to see her interacting with characters other than Edan in the first part of the narrative, particularly seeing her friendship with Ammi develop. Lim continues to write interesting characters which the reader can easily connect with. However, I did come out of this feeling that the ending had been a little anti-climactic. Nevertheless, despite not enjoying Unravel the Dusk as much as Spin the Dawn, this is still a duology that I enjoyed reading: I came to be invested in the characters populating the world of the Blood of Stars duology and I was consistently surprised by the turns the narrative took throughout the two novels. I would still recommend this to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy, as I think it is an easy, absorbing read that will suit most readers of that genre.
Summary: Unravel the Dusk continues the story of Maia, now returned to the Autumn Palace but concealing the disastrous effects of her encounter with the demon Bandur at the climax of Spin the Dawn. Her problems continue to build, however, as she finds herself still in the middle of the negotiations of the political marriage between the Emperor and Lady Sarnai, an alliance intended to bring peace to both nations. However, it soon becomes clear that more is at work in the war than had been previously guessed, and Maia will soon have to confront both the demon within and the demons out in the world as she strives to put an end to the war.
Overall Thoughts: Going into this second instalment of the Blood of Stars duology, Maia continues to be an engaging protagonist, and the tension caused by her slow transformation throughout the narrative keeps the reader gripped with her story. It was particularly enjoyable to see her interacting with characters other than Edan in the first part of the narrative, particularly seeing her friendship with Ammi develop. Lim continues to write interesting characters which the reader can easily connect with. However, I did come out of this feeling that the ending had been a little anti-climactic. Nevertheless, despite not enjoying Unravel the Dusk as much as Spin the Dawn, this is still a duology that I enjoyed reading: I came to be invested in the characters populating the world of the Blood of Stars duology and I was consistently surprised by the turns the narrative took throughout the two novels. I would still recommend this to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy, as I think it is an easy, absorbing read that will suit most readers of that genre.