“To know what this world could look like, what humanity could be, if only we all chose to do our best, to help others, to...to be, well, heroes.”

FORMAT READ: Audiobook
SIMILAR VIBES: The Young Elites, The Darkest Minds

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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*

OVERALL: 3.5
Compared to the first book… I liked this one more in terms of plot and themes. I feel like there was more happening in the plot and world-building was able to expand more in this book. It was more thought-provoking, in my opinion, and I really thought that the themes that the series is trying to communicate were much more prominent. It hit me in the face a lot more.

That guy that Nova works with is my favourite character in the whole book even though I cannot remember his name. And the Nova-Adrian relationship interests me more than their individuals characters though… which is... I don't know how to feel about that yet BUT I LIKE THEM

The other character relationships ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE as well !!! I probably can't say exactly which ones because erm spoilers... I have a lot of problems with the characters themselves but I like how they interact and the dynamic between the characters are something that I really enjoyed and was what ultimately kept me going. I absolutely adored the family representations in this book. They aren’t very explicitly described and focused on but that is part of why I liked it. It's one of the underlying themes and is part of the emotional gut punches every now and then.

A lot of lines made me cringe, however, and I couldn't help but pause to catch myself. But I do like the way battle scenes are written. It was descriptive enough for a fantasy novel without it being too flowery which is sometimes what puts me off in certain books.

It was a lot less focused on neither the Renegades or the Archanists which kind of disappointed me. Though, it gave room for more of Nova-Adrian time. And even then, there was just enough emotional punch that made me want to keep reading and reading and reading !!

I think that the pacing of these books is the problem as I like fast-paced books and I just never feel like a lot of things happened. You can combine the plots of the first and second book into one and all will be good and fine. Although, I do understand that it makes this book more suitable for those slow-paces fantasy readers that enjoy the suspense behind Nova and Adrian's secret identities (which I actually really enjoy even though it frustrates me a bit).

PLOT: ★★☆☆☆
WRITING STYLE: ★★★★☆
WORLD BUILDING: ★★★☆☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★☆☆
CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS: ★★★★★
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★☆☆
PAGE TURNER: ★★★☆☆