The beginning of this one was kind of rough, but it kept improving and the ending really brought it home. There was a little too much "she doesn't know how beautiful she is" for me, but it is a YA book so I'll forgive it. The world was also a bit more brutal than I was expecting with the torture and constant rape threats - but no more so than some other recent YA fantasy series. I probably would have liked this one even more if I had read it when it first came out. I've now seen a lot of these same things in several other YA fantasy novels: the empire/resistance plotline, love triangles (or a love square?), weird trials and characters forced to kill others in an arena due to a convoluted game by the rulers. But it was a fun ride with some fun twists. The chapters felt flat in the beginning, but by the end I really started to care about the characters - especially Elias, Helene, and Laia. Excited to know what happens next.

The beginning of this one was kind of rough, but it kept improving and the ending really brought it home. There was a little too much "she doesn't know how beautiful she is" for me, but it is a YA book so I'll forgive it. The world was also a bit more brutal than I was expecting with the torture and constant rape threats - but no more so than some other recent YA fantasy series. I probably would have liked this one even more if I had read it when it first came out. I've now seen a lot of these same things in several other YA fantasy novels: the empire/resistance plotline, love triangles (or a love square?), weird trials and characters forced to kill others in an arena due to a convoluted game by the rulers. But it was a fun ride with some fun twists. The chapters felt flat in the beginning, but by the end I really started to care about the characters - especially Elias, Helene, and Laia. Excited to know what happens next.

Enjoyed this one a little more than the first. It picks up right where the first one left off, but really raised the stakes. We get more fantasy stuff - Laia's power and Jinn and the Nightbringer - and some more twists and turns. The pacing and writing could still be a little improved, but the characters were all great, especially Helene who is really conflicted in this one and gets her own POV. Excited to see where it all leads to!

Enjoyed this one as much as the prior ones. There's more twists and turns, more fantasy stuff, and higher stakes. We get a bit more backstory on some of the mysterious characters. Elias's perspective is a little less interesting in this one, but Lala and Helene's are pretty exciting. Things just keep getting worse. Looking forward to finding out how it all wraps up in the next one.

Fine ending to the series. Not amazing, not terrible.