Reread 8/23/2020

I don't think my negative thoughts are quite as strong rereading this again. The romance didn't bother me as much, although I still do think it happened a bit suddenly from the very first chapter. It easily could've have been introduced a bit slower. And I am so bothered by the age differences and issues of consent. (George in his early twenties, I think, talking about how he's waiting for his fifteen year old chosen bride to grow up is never not gross.) But I do still like it.

Thoughts on the audiobook are the same as the first one. I cannot get past the horrible fake British accents. I honestly can't believe no one told the narrator how bad they sounded.

***

I was disappointed that this book wasn't as amazing for me as the first one. Still a fantastic read, but it lacked some of the character development and charm from the First Adventure. The highlights included Alanna's unrivaled sass and the stunning climax. The weakest point for me was the romance. I enjoy romance in general as well as in this series, but there was no romance at all in the first book and it was an immediate and heavy focus of this one. It felt jarring and bit out of place.

Still absolutely adored it, even with my critiques. And this one is definitely YA, too much sex for MG.