I liked this too much to give it 3 stars, but had too many problems to give it 4. So, 3.5? That may change, but I'll stick with it for now.

I'm so conflicted over this book. Not even joking.

Okay, so normally I'd divide my review into likes and dislikes, but my thoughts are jumbled. Instead, here's a list of general thoughts.

** Minor spoiler warning. **

» The story was enjoyable. I remember really liking the Indian mythology focus the first book had, and I liked the expansion on that in this one. Beyond Indian, this also featured bits of Norse and Greek myths, and possibly more I missed and/or have slipped my mind at the moment. Also, the quests have been interesting to read about, especially when they involve travel to another world. I liked reading about adventures in Shangri-la, and I loved the Silvanae. Except…

» I felt that the romance took over the story. I mentioned in one of my updates that I believed a polyamorous relationship would solve the problem, and I stand by that. But instead it was drawn out and seemed to dominate the real plot. In the beginning, Kelsey was pining for Ren and began dating other guys. Ren returned and one of those guys, Li, stuck around anyway. That was really dramatic and honestly unnecessary. Li backed off, and Kelsey and Ren were fine. I wasn't, though, because Ren handled the other guys in a jealous, somewhat controlling way. I get that it was probably a mix of his past and his tiger instincts, but just NO. Kelsey isn't an object, and she doesn't belong to you. Enter Kishan's return, and even more drama. Kishan is Ren's brother and long story short, he loves Kelsey too. They fight, they bicker, she believes she isn't worth affection from one, let alone both. Ren becomes … otherwise occupied with other obstacles, so Kelsey and Kishan go on the quest on their own. Cue angst, confessions, and a lot of unrequited feelings, particularly frustration, melancholy, and awkwardness. This was common throughout the story, and it got old quickly.

» But not all the relationships were bad. I liked the grandfatherly bond Kelsey and Mr. Kadam had, and the friendship she formed with his granddaughter Nilima. I did also like Kelsey's foster family, but just like in the first book they were forgotten almost immediately once the quest began.

» On the subject of Nilima, early on in the first few chapters, there was a line that bothered me. Nilima was mentioned for the first time in this book, I believe to take Kelsey to India, and Kelsey described her as an "exotic beauty." It only happened once, but that's just not something you say. No.

» I'm not sure what was going on with the pacing. It was really slow in the beginning and through most of the middle, but the big plan took about a chapter. It felt like a lot of buildup, some not really necessary, and only a mediocre climax. I liked the ending, but it resembled the beginning as well as the end of book one a little too much for my tastes.

I was really critical of this book, but I think it was more that I just realized issues I didn't when reading the first one. That being said, I did like this book. I liked most of the characters most of the time, as they only spent a little time being cliché. The story was interesting, just a bit too slow. I honestly love the storyline and Indian mythology in this, because it's so unique even if it isn't executed perfectly. And although the ending does emit a bit of concern from me because it could very well make a lot of unneeded drama in the third, I liked it. Yes, it was a bit cliché, but it was still done well enough for me to be curious.

I think I'll give the third book a try. It won't be a priority, but eventually I'll get to it.

(Hopefully this made some semblance of sense.)