Review: Avenged is the second book of Amy Tintera's Ruined series that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on! I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel Ruined, so I was excited to find an even more exciting tale in the second novel.

What Worked:
01. The constant action. One thing I really loved about the first book in this series is that it is very fast paced. Avenged is no different. There is a lot of action and adventure packed into this 432 paged book and I felt my heart racing with each chapter I zipped through. If anything, I would argue that I enjoyed the conflict more so in this novel than the first and the adventures the main characters pursued were very much thrilling and exciting. There is really a lot going on between Em and Cas’ romantic dealings, a brewing war, and dangerous alliances.

02. The new perspectives. I really appreciated the addition of both Aren and Olivia’s character perspectives in this book. Olivia is, quite frankly, insane, so it was interesting to see her character motivations and how she views the world around her. She is one who craves revenge and does not feel remorse for the way she goes about disposing of human beings. Aren is, like Olivia, a very complex character. In the first novel, I perceived Aren to be guarded and not one to show emotion. I was surprised to get a look through his point of view and see the soft person he truly is inside.

03. The character development. This novel spent a lot of time developing Cas’ character who I viewed as weak and unobservant in the first novel. Cas experiences a lot of hardships and attempts on his life as the King of Lera. As a reader, we are able to watch him go through the lowest points of his life, but find the motivation to pull himself together to defend his country. Though the romantic in me wanted Cas to give up everything in order to prioritize his romantic connection with Em, I ultimately admired Tintera’s decision to have Cas discover that he can no longer think about himself with his country on the line.

04. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, Em is a strong, empowering, female lead. Nothing changes in the second book, she’s still the badass we all know and love. Learning to deal with her revenge filled sister and the prince of Otho who wants so desperately to steal her throne, Em is able to conquer anything and anyone who stands in her way. I admire her ability to negotiate and recognize her place as the newly crowned Queen of Ruina. Let’s also not forget, she is still an expert when it comes to the sword!

05. The diverse representation. I really appreciate Tintera for including diverse characters in this book. There are several characters who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, one of which being specifically bisexual and the other being gay. I loved seeing their storylines play out as the novel progressed, especially their dealings with romance. I also loved the inclusion of all different skin tones. Many of the Ruined are dark-skinned, like Aren. Some have an olive complexion like Em’s character. Nothing felt forced or out of place and I congratulate Tintera for that.

What Didn’t Work:
01. The start was slow. Unlike the first novel, the beginning started off quite slow and it took a little bit of time for me to get into things. I think that the reason is mainly that the story starts with Cas and Em being apart. I was dreading their separation for the entirety of the novel, but they reunite fairly quickly, which helped me to really dive into the book.

02. No recap of book one. This is only a minor critique, but I noticed that what happened in book one was left in book one. This wasn’t an issue for me, as I got ahold of the second book fairly quickly, but I could see this being an issue for those who aren’t able to read the books in sequential order in a small period of time. I would have appreciated if there was more a of a recap to refresh my memory on the events that transpired in the first novel.

Jess Approved?: ✓