I dare you to find one character in this series who doesn't have curly hair...

Storm of Olympus is the third and final book in the Daughter of Sparta trilogy, and while I think it's a satisfying ending in a plot sense, I had a few issues with this book. The first two books were enjoyable, and I thought this one was fine as well, just not to the same extent. I'll go into more spoiler-y details below my review, and I'll be honest, they account for most of the issues I have with this book.

Troy has been destroyed, and Olympus is in danger of falling as the Titans walk the earth once more. Meanwhile, Daphne struggles to connect with her power and confront her destiny of destruction. I can't go much into plot details here because some major spoilers occur within the first few chapters, and that's kind of the issue I had with this book: everything important happened at the beginning or the end. The pacing is relatively fast still, but the middle is kind of dry in terms of plot (I can only think of one major scene, and it doesn't feel like it has much stake in the actual trajectory of the novel. I liked the beginning and had high hopes for the rest of the book; it was very action-packed, and the stakes were high. However, as I've seen some other reviews mention, Daphne died in both previous books, so she seems invulnerable, and there isn't really a question of her survival anymore. Admittedly, most of the other characters don't have the same amount of plot armor, but because Daphne is our protagonist, it's kind of hard to be invested in a story where we know she can't really be damaged. And, like I said earlier, I think the ending is satisfying in a vague sense, but I was disappointed by certain arcs. I do want to mention that I thought the fight scenes were written very well and reminded me a lot of MCU level fight scenes, even if the ending battle was kind of similar to the fifth Percy Jackson book. Overall, I'm glad I finished the series, but I'm not sure that the ending is worth the dry middle sections.

I don't really have many thoughts on the characters for this book because I was kind of "meh" toward all of them. Daphne is still a decent protagonist, but she's kind of overpowered in this book, and there's never really a sense of danger when she's involved. I don't dislike her, but I don't find her as empowering as everyone says because I think it would've been a stronger message had she not embraced divinity as an equalizer. Apollo felt irrelevant again; I was honestly half convinced that Hermes was taking over as love interest because the dynamics between him and Daphne felt more natural than her random simp scenes with Apollo. I didn't care for Hermes on his own, or Apollo, for that matter. Lykou was a wolf for a while again, and I think that's why I started liking him again? But he didn't have much page time, nor did Pyrrhus (whose arc I was also excited for). I was hoping to see more rage from Pyrrhus since, y'know, both Achilles and Patroclus died and he was their third lover, but he only served as a minor conflict for Daphne. The rest of the characters didn't have much depth to them, and I found the relationship between Lyta and Helen to be a bit abrupt, but I still liked seeing Daphne interact with them.

So is Storm of Olympus worth it? Yes, if you're a long-time enjoyer of the series and enjoy feminist retellings that stray from the original material. I think it's a worthwhile conclusion to the trilogy, even if I have issues with it, and I appreciate the messages it tries to send.

3.25/5

SPOILERS
I tried to be vague above because most of my problems with this book would be considered spoilers, but I feel the need to talk about them.

1) The Norse Gods...why? I understand that the author is probably interested in mythology of all kinds, but the inclusion of the Asgardians felt entirely random to me, and I also didn't think it mattered that much in the end. When Daphne and the others are resolving the conflict involving the Garden of Hesperides, a few Asgardians show up and say they have a stake in it because all the "trees" are connected. Okay, fine, but why not include other gods, too? Maybe I missed something, but it felt to me like the author just wanted to add Norse Gods for funsies, and it didn't match with the plot.

2) Lykou's death. Why? For emotional shock? It felt like the author's way of eliminating any chance of a romance between Daphne and Lykou was just to kill him. Dude deserved way better than to die for a woman who doesn't love him back, especially considering that if his death was a "solution" to a love triangle, it didn't matter because Daphne kept flirting with Hermes. Also, he was, like, the one mortal character left, so I guess it's expected that he died, but it felt too convenient and so short that I didn't even cry.

3) Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis's final choice. I guess it was maybe supposed to reinforce the feminist themes because the female goddesses were sacrificing themselves? Aphrodite I could maybe understand since both of her lovers are gone, and Athena's sacrifice could be considered reasonable because it's the choice of wisdom, but Artemis? Giving up her life so her brother could have a freaking girlfriend? Absolutely not. No. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does.

4) The original myth. I don't know much about the original Daphne/Apollo myth besides what I found from a quick summary: Eros shoots Apollo with an arrow of love and Daphne with an arrow of hatred; Apollo falls in love with Daphne and pursues her, and Daphne is turned into a laurel tree to avoid his advances. I wasn't expecting this adaptation to follow the same tragic ending, but I was hoping for some sort of hint of this story besides the laurel tree at the end. It's a minor complaint (I know retellings/adaptations don't have to be loyal), but I wish there were a few more hints of the original myth.

5) Similarly, the author's intended message. I read the author's notes, and it seems that she was trying to create a feminist retelling because, in reality, none of these mythological stories have been proven true, and what's to say her version isn't the true one? I like the discussion involving the history of mythology and the unknowns that still remain, but creating your own story that varies so differently from the original, marketing it (as far as I've seen) as a retelling, and then claiming it could be true and we'll never know just comes across as a bit weird to me. Again, this is just a minor thing I had an issue with, but fans looking for a faithful retelling might want to look elsewhere.

 

Having, like, no experience with the Trojan War but vague knowledge of various characters involved, this was like a giant crossover episode origin story for me...

Blood of Troy is the sequel to Daughter of Sparta, and gone is the adventure style plot; we're going to war now. It's a bit longer than book one and definitely a bit slower in terms of pacing, but I would consider it more adherent to the "retelling" vibes that the first book was trying to accomplish. Again, my knowledge of Greek mythology comes almost exclusively from a) Percy Jackson, b) Epic: the Musical (I did read The Odyssey), c) The Song of Achilles, and a handful of obscure stories from my short-lived obsession with the gods and goddesses in third grade. So with that in mind, I'm not sure how true this retelling stays to the generally accepted timeline of events from the Trojan War, but again, on its own, I think it stands well as a story.

Daphne has saved Olympus and no longer wants anything to do with the gods, but apparently, they're not done with her. As war approaches rapidly, Daphne is assigned the task of becoming the Shield of Helen and protecting her should battle break out. Where book one was an adventure-type story, book two is highly political and much slower in pacing. The action is replaced by political maneuvering, and despite the fact that half the book literally takes place in a time of war, there is relatively little tension, and most of the scenes feel like brief conversations. I'm hoping this was just a case of second-book syndrome, as I didn't enjoy it as much as book one. It wasn't bad, it was just slow and struggled to keep me interested when most of the scenes felt like repetitive discussions between characters. The ending was a bit more interesting, but also subverted what I know about mythology, so I'm not sure how I feel about it. I liked the integration of other famous characters (like Odysseus and Achilles), and I appreciated how easy the war storyline was to follow as someone not entirely familiar with the Trojan War. Otherwise, I also want to mention that the romantic subplot felt almost completely disregarded; there were only a few scenes that further developed the dynamics. Additionally, I think they feminist themes were strong with this book, but I also find them lacking, though I'm not 100% sure why. I think it could just be because I've read so many feminist retellings that I feel like it's a bit cliche/overdone at times, but this one just doesn't hit right for me.

This book introduces a dozen new characters, most of whom are familiar faces for readers familiar with Greek mythology. We see Odysseus, Achilles and Patroclus (whose entire vibes felt really weird to me for reasons I won't disclose for spoiler purposes), and Hector and Paris. I liked seeing these characters in new lights, especially those whom I've read about in other stories. I wasn't super fond of Helen just because she felt a little bland and her feminist themes weren't super subtle, but I didn't mind her too much. The gods were relevant, but didn't get much development and felt a bit like caricatures. Apollo, too, didn't get much page time, but I enjoyed the little moments he spent with Daphne. I liked Pyrrhus's arc a lot, and I'm excited to see him in book 3. Lykou, on the other hand, I loved in book one, but didn't care for in this one. Maybe it was because he couldn't talk in his wolf form, but he's so rude about his infatuation with Daphne. As for Daphne, she's still not my favorite, but I think she's tolerable. I liked her journey to discovering her past and creating her place in the world, but she's just not super unique when compared to other YA fantasy protagonists, and I'm not super attached to her.

Blood of Troy is the second book in the Daughter of Sparta trilogy, perfect for readers looking for an introductory series into Greek mythology and who enjoy feminist retellings.

3.5/5 

Sydney Carton was my favorite character in A Tale of Two Cities, so when I stumbled across a retelling with him as the focal character AND fantasy elements, I knew I had to read it.

A Far Better Thing is a retelling of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, but it almost acts as a companion in the sense that it almost feels like a "behind the scenes" story, at least in my opinion. It's been a few years since I read ATOTC, so I read a quick summary before I began this book, and I'd definitely recommend refreshing on the original if it's been a while (or introducing yourself to a general summary if you've never read it before). This novel follows the original material closely, and the fairy worldbuilding is seamlessly integrated into the story so it feels almost like it can exist as a companion to the original. The writing style feels very Dickens-esque (at least, from what I remember of ATOTC), which further enforces the illusion that this can be read as an extension of the original.

If you've read ATOTC, you probably won't be shocked by the majority of the plot. Sydney Carton is no longer just a simple English lawman; he's a mortal servant to the fairies, and apparently, he's supposed to represent the changeling that replaced him - Charles Darnay - in court. Similar to ATOTC, the book carries a handful of interweaving storylines involving a) the Manettes, b) the Defarges, c) the French Revolution, and d) the faerie realm. It follows a similar structure to the original ATOTC, but there's a bit more subterfuge and, obviously, the involvement of the fairies. I don't want to say too much else about the plots involving the fairies because that spoils the changes from the original, but I will say that I really enjoyed them and thought they fit well with the political plots. Admittedly, in true Dickens fashion, the pacing is a bit slow and the stakes can be very low at times, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the prose and the premise.

Speaking of the premise, I do want to quickly mention that I'm not sure if there's a real point to involving the fae folk in a story like ATOTC other than that it's cool, and sometimes that's fine. I was trying to figure out if there was going to be any sort of symbolism with the fairies in the context of the French Revolution, but didn't really see much of that. I think there are some really well-done themes with the idea of mortals being human because they remember, and also questions of what defines human nature. But overall, I think the premise was more of just a cool idea than anything intentionally symbolic.

Most of the characters came from ATOTC, and my opinions on them didn't really change from the original. I liked this in-depth look at Sydney Carton, especially with this supernatural backstory. I also enjoyed the motives that this book gave him and his interactions with the "worlds" (normal and magical, kind of like two cities). I didn't mind any of the other original characters, but they got significantly less page time in favor of Carton's story. There are a few new characters that I think blended well into the ATOTC cast, although they mostly related to the faerie realm in some way. I don't think I was particularly fond of any of the characters like I am in the typical books I read, but I did enjoy their arcs and how their fates were woven together. I also liked that it wasn't particularly romance heavy and that it kept the same dynamics between the characters as the original.

If you enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities or just find retellings of classics enjoyable, A Far Better Thing employs enchanting prose and subtly woven fantasy elements to provide another facet to the story of Sydney Carton.

4.25/5 

I picked up Little Thieves on a whim, but I'm now officially solidifying Margaret Owen's spot as an auto-buy author because I've eaten up all the books I've read by her so far.

Holy Terrors is the stunning conclusion to the Little Thieves trilogy, and I think it's landed the series a spot on my favorites list. I read this series in a little over a week (with other books in between) because I was so obsessed with it from the beginning. I had some concerns going into this book just because of the ending of book two and some reviews I saw that implied a resolution that did not occur, but I shouldn't have worried because Margaret Owen always delivers.

Vanja and Emeric have gone their separate ways. Emeric is a fully-fledged Prefect now, and Vanja has become something of a local legend, taking on the role of the Pfennigist who grants justice to those who ask. When the members of the royal family begin dying, and Vanja's telltale red penny is found alongside the bodies, she and Emeric must join forces again to find the serial killer and prevent the empire from falling into the wrong hands. Admittedly, I did find the pace a bit slower than the last two books, but I think it's partly because the setting doesn't change much, the stakes are lower for the protagonists (at least initially), and it's also just longer than the first two books. The first 50% felt a lot longer than the second, and the ending was rapid-fire pacing past 80%. I kind of called the plot twist, but not because of foreshadowing in this book so much as previous ones. I loved the ending, even though it was a bit confusing at times, and definitely could've been improved. There's just something about endings like this one that makes me fangirl every time. The symbolism, the themes, the IMAGERY - it was all perfect. There's also a fair amount of angst in this book, which I both enjoyed and hated.

As always, these characters were amazing. Vanja's growth in this book is beautifully written; I also just love her banter and her narration. Emeric, too, grew a lot. His dynamics with Vanja were realistic, and I liked his arc. Their dynamics together are why they're probably one of my favorite fictional pairings ever, especially with Junior now, too. I actually started to like Lilje in this one; I respect her a lot and feel bad about not liking her in the short stories. I was also happy to see the return of Gisele and Ragne, especially Gisele (she's an unsung hero). Some other familiar faces made returns, but I was just grateful to see the dynamics of the previously existing cast continue to shift.

Holy Terrors is the thrilling end to one of my new favorite YA fantasy series that features twisty mysteries, a loveable cast of characters, plenty of banter, and an amazing conclusion.

4.5/5

(Also, SPOILERS, y'know how I said after book one that I thought by book 3 they'd be fighting god? Yeah, they kind of did, and they also kind of became gods?!) 

Adding this series to my list of "be gay, do crime" books.

Just like Vanja wasn't planning to start a cult, I wasn't planning to read Painted Devils so soon after Little Thieves (I have a steadily growing physical TBR). But given I haven't stopped thinking about book one for the past week, I put this book on hold a few days later, and I'm so glad I did. Everyone who said the tone of this book is extremely different from book one was correct, and, kind of unexpectedly, I really enjoyed it, but we'll get to that later.

Three months after the events of book one, Vanja has unintentionally started a cult. It began as a scam that she created while drunk, but when Emeric is called to investigate potential fraud, it turns out that Vanja's cult might be more true than she expected: the Scarlet Maiden is real, and she claims Emeric as her blood sacrifice. Desperate to save Emeric despite her conflicting feelings for him, Vanja manages to get an alternative task that involves fetching the blood of seven brothers or staking her "claim" on Emeric in the form of taking his virginity. Most of the book is spent on the "quest" of finding the blood of the seven brothers, but there are several mini-investigations throughout, as Emeric is also in the process of earning his role as full prefect. The pacing was a bit slow at times, and I don't think there was as much tension as there was in book one (despite the high stakes). Still, I barely wanted to put this book down. I love fantasy mysteries, so I liked the intertwining sideplot investigations. The balance between mystery and fantasy was great, and I know some people complained about the romance being too much of a focus, but I honestly didn't think it was that bad. I do have some unhappy feelings about the ending, and I also didn't predict the main plot twist, but in hindsight, it was kind of foreshadowed well. I'm excited for the short stories and book three, especially with that rude ending, but I think I liked book one just a tiny bit more.

I want to spend a quick moment discussing one of the main sets of themes in the novel, specifically the questions regarding sexuality and virginity. Both Vanja and Emeric are demisexual, and I really appreciated the attention the author gave to that aspect of their identities. One of the main conflicts in the book is the hesitance of both Vanja and Emeric to have sex, even though it could technically save Emeric's life. There are a lot of conversations throughout the whole book about intimacy, romance, and boundaries, and I think it was both really realistic and really healthy. The discussions between characters were humorous enough to take out some of the cringe, but I think they were also realistic in many ways (at least I think so...). I also really liked the way that the conflict progressed and was eventually resolved. I know that the prevalence of this theme might not be enjoyable for some readers, but I found it to be well-written and relatable in many aspects.

Onto the characters, you already know I love this cast. Vanja is probably one of my favorite protagonists because she's good with banter, she's very complex, and she's just enjoyable to read about. I liked the exploration of multiple facets of her identity. Emeric was his usual clever and slightly sarcastic, slightly sweet self. I'm excited for his POVs in the short stories, but specifically in this book, I enjoyed getting to see him in various settings, and I just love the relationship between him and Vanja. I missed Ragne and Giselle in this book, so hopefully they're in book 3 again. I liked the added cast of characters, though they did get a bit hard to keep track of at times. Helga was super fun (and I loved the mentor vibes she had with Vanja), and I also enjoyed meeting Helga's other siblings. Brunne was super fun, too, and I'm kind of hoping she makes a comeback at some point.

Painted Devils is the second book in a YA fantasy trilogy with major "be gay, do crimes" vibes that features a detective, an ex(sort of)-criminal, and a world full of magic and mayhem.

4.5/5 

I would like to be reinstated as a book detective because I saw that plot twist coming from a mile away.

Book of Night is Holly Black's debut into the adult fantasy world, and it's quite a different vibe (urban fantasy) than The Cruel Prince (YA high fantasy). To be fair, I also wasn't a huge fan of The Cruel Prince, but Netgalley put this book back up to read for free, so I snagged it thinking it would force me to read it and then I could take it off my TBR. In hindsight, it was pretty low on my TBR, and I probably should have left it go because urban fantasy isn't typically my thing, but I took a chance on this book, and it didn't really pay off. I also want to mention that some of my problems with pacing might be because the PDF I received from Netgalley had some formatting/spelling errors that made some sections difficult to read.

One of my biggest issues is that not only does the blurb provide any idea of what the plot might be about, but the first 50% of the story is relatively directionless. We meet Charlie, a young woman who has a not-so-happy past that is consistently dumped on the reader through entire chapters that basically act as flashbacks. She's a bartender who used to do some not-so-savory jobs for not-so-savory people, and now that past is catching up to her. At almost exactly the halfway point, we get introduced to a new job for Charlie, aka stealing the Book of Night. There were parts of the plot that I enjoyed; I thought parts of Charlie's backstory were unique and interesting, I liked the mystery behind Vince's past, and the last 20% or so was definitely way more enticing. I think this book had good ideas, but poor pacing that left it feeling like it was lacking in execution. This felt way longer than 300 pages because the first half was such a slow read, but then there were also some sections that went by so fast I felt like I missed things. I thought the plot twist was interesting, but I called it from one of the early flashback chapters (and not even just parts of the twist, I literally guessed the entire thing). I think the next book has the potential to be interesting, but I just think this one suffered from starting way too early.

I also struggled to get connected to the characters. As much as I thought Charlie had a solid backstory, she didn't intrigue me much as a protagonist. She felt very reluctant to step (back) into the world of magic, which is fine, but she never fully obeyed the call to action, at least in my reading of it. Also, for some reason, I kept picturing her as Vi from Arcane but straight... Vince was probably one of the more interesting characters for me, but he disappeared for a large section of the story. I didn't mind Posey, and I thought her eagerness juxtaposed well with Charlie's hesitance. A lot of the side characters had either really basic or really bizarre names that I struggled to keep track of. It felt a bit difficult to remember who was who, so I didn't really form opinions on the other characters.

I think there is a specific audience for Book of Night (people who love urban fantasy, creative shadow magic, and complex, morally grey female protagonists), but unfortunately, I think it wasn't the book for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy!

3.25/5 

This feels like the start to one of those series where the first book is a silly heist turned serious and by the third book, we're fighting god.

I put Little Thieves on hold on an impulse. It had been on my TBR for a while, and I forget exactly what I saw (probably some post on Instagram) that made me choose to put it on hold, but I loved it so much I'm half tempted to forget about the other books on my immediate TBR just so I can finish this trilogy. Little Thieves has most of my favorite tropes/concepts: unique worldbuilding, heists, found family, detective work, slowburn romance, etc. It's no wonder I enjoyed it so much (and the next book has a cult?!).

Based loosely on the story of The Goose Girl, this book follows Vanja, a maid who has stolen her princess's identity. Vanja is supposed to be marrying Gisele's fiancé, but things aren't as they seem, and Vanja ends up cursed by a Low God to slowly dissolve into the jewels she craves. The plot is a mix of political intrigue and fantastical mystery, and while I don't typically enjoy political intrigue in fantasy, I didn't mind it here. I've seen some other reviews say that the plot can drag at times, and I definitely do think it takes a solid 1/3 of the book to truly become engrossed in the story, but I was intrigued very early on. The pacing can be a bit slow, but Vanja's narrative voice is humorous, and I liked the character dynamics enough to make up for the sections lacking in action. The mystery balanced well with the action and the fantasy aspects of the plot, and there was a sprinkling of romance that also rounded everything out. The ending is satisfying enough that this could act as a standalone, but I'm excited to see how different the vibes are in book two.

And, like with most found family heists, I loved the cast of characters. Vanja was a great protagonist; I enjoyed seeing her grow and adapt, and her narration is also just super fun and humorous. She has an interesting backstory, and I just love cunning characters like her. I also adored Emeric. I almost always love detective-type characters, and he's also a bit of a nerd, so that's a bonus. Vanja and Emeric are both implied to be demisexual, so their relationship was cool to see developed, and I just love their dynamics with each other. Ragne was also super fun, and I liked seeing her adapt to living in human society. She reminded me a bit of Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon. At first, I wasn't super fond of Gisele, but I quickly warmed up to her, and I liked the complexity of her friendship with Vanja. Also, this book has a lot of queer rep (aspec, sapphic, queernorm world), which is really nice to see as well.

Little Thieves is a YA fantasy novel that reminds readers that while little thieves go to the gallows, bigger thieves often go unpunished for their greed, perfect for fans of Six of Crows and The Gilded Wolves.

4.5/5 

My sister read this aloud to me in the car today when I drove her home from the library (she is 15), so I'm counting this toward my yearly goal out of spite.

My thoughts? Jack Frost literally only wanted long, blue hair, and it affected no one because only Kirsty and Rachel could see the difference in the storybooks, so how does that make him a villain? Abby, you're forgetting he stole Rosalie's magical hairbrush! He took it without asking! Friends, Jack Frost has been beefing with these fairies since I was five. In what world would they ever offer to let him use the magic hairbrush?

Anyway, Jack Frost is an icon, and we love him singing about how smart and special he is (I aspire to have his level of delusional self-confidence). 

No one told me this isn't a trilogy. No one told me that I would need to wait years for the next book.

Oathbound is the third book in the Legendborn series, and I just want y'all to know now that when the next book releases, I will be sequestering myself away for at least 24 hours. Is this a perfect book? No, it feels a lot like filler and didn't bring about the same withdrawal that I had with the first two books. But I still enjoyed it, the ending has me stalking the release date for book 4, and I enjoyed the extra POVs. Of the series so far, this book is my least favorite, but I genuinely do think book 4 is going to be epic.

Bree has chosen to flee with the Shadow King in order to train in her power, leaving Sel to be healed by his mother and Nick to deal with the rest of the Order. Because of the multiple storylines, this book uses multiple POVs as well, namely Bree's, William's, Mariah's, and, on occasion, Natasia's. Usually, with multiple POVs, there's some semblance of balance between them, but I think what really ruined the pacing of the book for me was the disproportionate time spent on each POV and what plot each one handled. Most of the chapters come from Bree - which makes sense, since she's the protagonist - but they often come in large chunks, meaning the rest of the POVs are forgotten for 50+ pages or so at a time. I understand that the POVs from other characters were important for setting up the last third of the book or so, but I wanted more of them and in more than two chapters at a time. In general, I think this book also lacked some of the suspense and tension from the last book, possibly due to the disjointed narrative. It felt like there was more of a focus on developing the characters (through training/discovery of their true natures), establishing the past of the world, and introducing a few mild mystery aspects as opposed to the action/suspense from the first two books. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it just didn't interest me as much, and I'm hoping book 4 resumes the quicker pacing. The last 1/3 of the book was, by far, the most interesting and enjoyable, but even that part felt drawn out. The last two chapters (especially just the last page) leave a lot of enticing implications for book 4, so I do appreciate that ending even though I'm mad about it.

The multiple POVs also give the reader a chance to get to know the side characters a bit more, which I found both beneficial and a bit annoying at times. First of all, not giving Sel and Nick frequent POVs. Sel does not receive any POVs and, overall, has very minimal page time. Nick has a few chapters (I think they're all in a row, and it's only, like, three of them), but he does manage to earn significant page time, especially at the beginning and end of the book. While book 2 was Sel's book, it's clear that book 3 is Nick's (and here's to hoping book 4 reunites them again). The lack of time spent on Sel probably disappoints a lot of readers, including me. I liked the extra Nick time, especially with his new reservations regarding the Order and the developments in his character as Lancelot's Scion, so I'm hoping we get more POV time from him and Sel in the next book. As for the other POV characters, I thought Natasia was a helpful character, if a bit convenient. I'm not sure how I feel about her. Mariah's POVs were the slowest for me because her chapters almost exclusively serve to further Bree's plotline, and she's also just not as interesting as the other characters, in my opinion. Since William is my favorite character, I was excited to see more of him. He didn't get a ton of page time, but I think his internal conflicts are interesting, and I'm intrigued by his dynamics with Lark. As for non-POV side characters: Elijah and Zoe were okay additions to the cast, but their change to trusting Bree so quickly felt a bit unrealistic, and I feel like we're missing a lot of backstory. Lark is growing on me; I liked Valec a bit less for some reason. I'm hoping to see more of Ava in future installations as well. And Bree? I have mixed feelings about her development because one of the main subplots for her (amnesia) felt a bit out of place, but I also appreciated her getting time to shine on her own, and I'm hoping her training makes her even more powerful as a character.

While Oathbound is a bit slower than previous books in the series and can be a bit messy with characters, it's still a worthwhile read and establishes a super exciting set-up for book 4.

3.75/5