A review by crownedaimee
Vilest Things by Chloe Gong

slow-paced

3.5

Vilest Things takes places right after the events of Immortal Longings, sending readers back into the world of San-Eir where our main characters Calla, Anton and August all battle for power. Probably will be an unpopular opinion, but I actually preferred the first book over the sequel, despite rating them both 3.5 stars. In saying this, I am intrigued to see how the third book plays out. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the characters which is something that Chloe Gong never fails on. Calla is by far my favourite character in this trilogy but I do wish that the characters had a little more of a character development. Additionally, I loved the tension between Calla and Anton in Immortal Longings but felt none of it in this book, instead feeling a little forced? I'm hoping in the next book they get their spark back. 

However, I felt like the story dragged a little, which could be due to the pacing and lack of action. It focuses more on politics which I think didn't help with how slow it made the book feel. There are some new powers involved but I didn't take all of it because it wasn't explained that well. The last 30% saved this book for me, where we finally got some action and the plot actually began to take off. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.