“You'll be a rumor. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. The last thing you will ever be, girl, is someone's hero.”

This is a reread review

I've been waiting for book 3 to come out so that I finally have a reason to reread + continue this series, and the day has finally come! (Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for my copy to show up, so this reread and then finish the series plan didn't really work out at all). And while this is a reread, I found that I actually remembered nothing about this book at all besides a few key things

Spoiler

such as Ashlinn's betrayal, the Tric romance + death, and... yea, that's about it.

I loved this book just as much as the first time around. From the way it's narrated (a mysterious narrator + footnotes) to the flawed yet layered characters, this book sucked me all the way in just like the first time. Once it really got going again, I finished the rest of it in one sitting!

It's hard to comment on how well the plot was structured or the world was built in a reread review, as I feel like I'm covering bases I've already thought long on before, but I do still have to say that I love the world Kristoff's created here as well as the threads this story follows. There's enough balance between Mia's inner revenge story and intrigue about the outside world (such as the workings of the Red Church, Mia's Darkin abilities, etc). I was honestly wary of this reread at first since I haven't been clicking with Kristoff's most recent works, but this book still holds up!

Overall, I'm super excited to continue and finish this series (if my book ever arrives...), and this book (and Godsgrave) will always hold a special place in my heart, even if I don't like the conclusion or Kristoff's new works!