Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Curse of the Divine

Author: Kim Smejkal

Book Series: Ink in the Blood Book 2

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: LGBT+ characters

Recommended For...: ya readers, fantasy lovers, magic lovers, LGBT+

Publication Date: February 9, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, death, grief, religion, slight romance)

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 448

Synopsis: Celia Sand faced Diavala and won, using ink magic to destroy the corrupt religion of Profeta that tormented her for a decade. But winning came with a cost. Now Celia is plagued with guilt over her role in the death of her best friend. When she discovers that Diavala is still very much alive and threatening Griffin, the now-infamous plague doctor, Celia is desperate not to lose another person she loves to the deity’s wrath.

The key to destroying Diavala may lie with Halycon Ronnea, the only other person to have faced Diavala and survived. But Halcyon is dangerous and has secrets of his own, ones that involve the ink that Celia has come to hate. Forced to choose between the ink and Diavala, Celia will do whatever it takes to save Griffin—even if it means making a deal with the devil himself.

Review: For the most part I really enjoyed this read. The book had a lot of unique and fun elements to the book. The plot was intriguing and kept me hooked throughout it. The characters are well developed and the world building is well done.

However, I did feel like the book was a bit weirdly written. The book tended to hyper focus on certain events and it became a bit much to read at those points. The book was also slow paced in a lot of places.

Verdict: It was good!