Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased a hardcopy version of this book for full price.
Unfortunately, life got into the way of me devouring this book as quickly as I did the first one in the series. However, the characters and action are vivid enough that I never missed a beat each time I was able to pick it up and crank some more pages out. Events even ramped up so much in the last quarter that I intentionally set aside an evening to finish it, and my dedication was well-rewarded.
Since I’m not typically a YA reader, some events at the beginning of the story felt contrived, but they more than fit with the style of the book. One thing I really don’t like about YA books is that often the adults are treated as idiots. I really appreciate that in these books, Syl’s mother is a trusted member of the team who is mostly aware of everything that is going on, even if she’s not always present.
The romance elements of this story flip the script on a lot of tropes, and the subtle themes of consent issues are important for this series’ target demographic readers. Syl and Euphoria indulge in just enough high school-level flirting and longing to be reminiscent of my own school crushes rather than feel immature or annoying.
This book also gets deeper into the fae mythology with the presence of striking secondary characters. I hope a story about Miss Jardin is somewhere on the author’s drawing board.
I do worry that the dialogue and first-person narrative language used by the main characters will date this book within the next few years, but that’s a concern rather than a criticism. This might be the middle installment of a trilogy, but it leaves on a happy ending that isn’t a cliffhanger. There’s plenty of potential for more adventure to come, and I’m happy to stay along for the ride.
Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.
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