**Please Note: This is the second book in a series that should be read in order. This review may contain spoilers for book one. 

Warmaidens is the second book in the young adult Gravemaidens duology by author Kelly Coon. I loved the first book, Gravemaidens, so I was super excited to dive into the final book in the duology. I have really been digging duologies this year, and the Gravemaidens Duology is one to add to my list of favorites. I loved the story told in Warmaidens and I loved how everything wrapped up. If you are a fan of fantasies that draw on afterlife and spiritual mythologies and do not shy away from action and battle scenes, then Gravemaidens and Warmaidens are must reads for you! Kelly Coon has created a rich fantasy world filled with vibrant characters, and an action packed plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire journey. I loved this book!

Warmaidens starts off action packed, as I figured it would based on that crazy ending in Gravemaidens.  In case you need a quick refresher, in Gravemaidens we met our main character Kammani, who is training to be a healer. In her kingdom of Alu, when the king nears the end of his life, the kingdom has a tradition of selecting three beautiful sacred maidens to accompany the king into the afterlife as his brides. It is supposed to be a great honor, but when Kammani's sister gets selected she will do anything to save her from death, which landed Kammani smack dab in the middle of a big conspiracy that left her unsure of who to trust. The book ended with Kammani and the whole gang faking their death, and now they are on the run from the corrupt lugal who took over Alu.

Warmaidens starts off the Kammani and the whole gang settling in to a quiet, and secret new life in Manzazu, but things do not stay quiet for long because soon after our story starts there is an attack on Manzazu, which leads everything to think that they have been discovered. What happens next is yet another fast paced adventure full of secrets. I love that Kelly Coon weaves a real sense of fear, distrust and urgency in her writing. I felt a little uneasy the whole time I was reading because I was genuinely scared for the characters. I felt their fear and terror deep down in my bones. They find themselves in so many fights and close calls that I never knew who was going to make it or not, especially true since not all of the characters might make it out of this story alive. So be warned about that. My emotions were all over the place while I was reading- but in a good way! I loved that Warmaidens was able to get my heart racing. This book was a fantastic ride from start to finish!

I also loved the addition of the boatsman. We saw him just a little in the first book, but his presence is felt a lot more in Warmaidens. I liked learning more about him and his story. I loved all of the characters, but I think my favorite is Dagan. I just adore him! Kammani is a fantastic heroine and she is fierce in more ways than one. Honestly, my only gripe with her is that I sometimes wish she expressed herself better with Dagan, but that might have been me pushing my love for him onto her shoulders, and I wanted to her to treat him better sometimes. (again. because I love him so!) Overall, the Gravemaidens duology was a wonderful read. If you are a fan of young adult fantasies featuring friendship, sisterhood, romance and plenty of secrets and adventure, Gravemaidens is a duology that will be a wonderful addition to any fantasy lovers collection. It feels fresh and different, and the story is so well done. I loved this book so much! What a great ending to an epic duology!