ettaviereads's Reviews (356)

A premise that was interesting where a Black woman who has escaped from slavery joins the union army to fight against slavery and new blooded vampires all while seeking revenge against a powerful vampire who destroyed her family. The two main characters share plenty of witty banter and bicker like an old married couple which left me giggling at some of their interactions. 

I thought it was going to be a better book in general, however, the progression of the storyline felt a bit chaotic and poorly thought out. There were plot points included that felt like they were there to waste pages and others where the plot wasn’t described as well as I would have liked. 

The action packed scenes were few and far between but when they did occur, the characters really came to life to work together and get out of their challenging situations. 

**Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read book 1**

What a fantastic book 2 to this series! Arriving in the Aurora kingdom with a newly discovered history, Lor and Nadir team up to look for the Heart Crown. 

This book was action, adventure, swoon worthy quotes, the perfect amount of spice and full of so many answered and unanswered questions. 

Lor battles with her feelings a lot in this book as she steps into her new reality while struggling with her emotions towards Nadir and about her siblings. 

Escaping the Sun King’s palace was only the first step to reclaiming her title and lands but the intensity portrayed in this book made me feel deeply for Lor’s emotional struggles and heartbreaking choices. 

Readers are also introduced to some characters who are no longer around but give the historical downfall of the Heart Kingdom. 

I will definitely be reading the next book because I need some questions answered and I can’t wait to see where the characters will go from here. 

Though the premise of the story was good. The excessive names and titles for the large cast of characters distracted from the story. 

This book hooked me with its premise from the first chapter and kept me wanting to know more as the story progressed. 

The challenging dynamic in this dystopian world between childhood friends as well as siblings leads the reader down a hole full of secrets and desperately hoping for relationships to be preserved. 

As the story progresses, the action scenes intensifies and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while being frustrated by some interactions between the FMC and her love interest. The angsty, slow burn is at a height in this book!

Finally, the ending made me stare in silence wishing I could pick up the next book of the series immediately to find out what is going to happen next. 

The dystopian world building and depth of characters that Riccioni created in this novel has created a world that I am excited to launch back into at some point. 

The vibe of the book is so depressing and the plot seems so slow and going nowhere.