I understand what the author was trying to do here, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

First off, this relationship was suuuper insta-love, which I get was kind of the point (a fast, intense sort of relationship), but I never like that in stories, no matter if the romance is the focus (like in this book) or not. I like seeing things build up, or at least knowing that they built up at some point in the characters' background. Instead, these two literally fall in love at first sight, and big, important subjects (like marriage and the future) start coming up super fast. (Again, I understand that this is partially the point of the book, so I don't fault the book for it, but it added to why this book didn't work for me). On the other hand, other topics (such as where they lived/went to school?) didn't come up in the summer fling part of the relationship, and it felt like that was solely to make the fallout/disappearance possible, as well as the surprise reappearance.

While in the end this was far from just a romance book, I had a hard time with the romance in the beginning as well, which ended up impacting my overall opinion of the book regardless of how the story seemed to change at the end. Second chance romance is often a hit or miss with me, it has to be done well (like with Starry Eyes) for it to work for me. It didn't feel super well done here, and it ended up bugging me a lot. I also did not like that only after they finally reconnected it was suddenly revealed that Ashton has a girlfriend now? It was resolved quickly but I hate when the romance of the book can only proceed by destroying a different relationship (where the third party is entirely innocent). It just makes me feel, icky, honestly.

Besides all that though, I feel like this book touches on a lot of important subjects (privilege, race, mental illness), and it has a lot of rep within it (that I can't personally review), such as a biracial MC (where this is a topic touched on multiple times within the story) as well as a character struggling with depression. Overall, I do feel this book comments on a lot of important subjects, but the rest of the story didn't feel well-done to me.

Whew, that was uh, something.

(I want to preface this review by reminding others that Mackenzi Lee has made some problematic choices in the past, from signing the books of other authors without their permission to how poorly she handled writing a book with a trans MC. Because of this, things that I may have left slip for other authors I may have judged more harshly here. However, no matter who this was written by, this book would not be considered above 2 stars for me.)

I wasn't planning on reading any more books by Lee, but I still had this arc lying around from BEA, and decided to finally get down to it. There are 3 main issues I had with this book that ended up making the entire book suck.

1. Poor queer rep

From other reviews, it seems like Lee told fans that she would finally write the queer Loki that fans deserve, and write Loki in all his pansexual/genderfluid glory. If she made these promises, she did not deliver. The only 'rep' was offhand references here and there, with the only actual 'romance' being heterosexual (with some possibly romantic tension with another male character that doesn't actually go anywhere). Loki's genderfluidity is told, not shown, in a single conversation that seems to come out of nowhere, and that nothing ever happens with it. Loki uses he/him pronouns for the entirety of the novel, and the only 'sign' of fluidity might be the fact he likes having his nails painted black and wearing boots that were made for girls (honestly, I don't count this at all). While he does shapeshift into female character sometimes, it is only ever to further a plan. Overall, this part of the book was very weak, and frustrating, and honestly not any better than the marvel movies themselves (which is, saying something).

2. Really cringy references to other Marvel characters/stories

This is overall just a small part of the issues I had with the book, but it was still there. This series is officially written for Disney/Marvel, and therefore fits within that universe rather than actual Norse mythology. This led to some more interesting world building, but it mainly led to cringy references. They weren't frequent, but honestly none of them were well done. It ranged from an offhand mention of someone named 'Stark' doing something with tech, and then an entire conversation where Loki basically recommended the name Shield for the secret organization that dealt with magical things. What could have been a nice nod to the stories that this one built off of turned instead to overt references that tried to be really obvious about the fact that they were supposed to be references.

3. Loki just, was not Loki.

A lot of other reviews have already touched on this, but this was honestly the biggest let down of this book. Honestly, this book might've not been that bad on its own, had it not been connected to this wealth of lore (both Norse and Marvel). I get that this is Loki's 'beginnings' and is supposed to show who he was before he was a trickster, but he was so weak as a character without it? He was still written as the trickster (his personality and nicknames were still built around it) except, without the trickery. He honestly just spends the entire book being tricked instead or blamed for things that aren't his fault at all. This latter part is even more frustrating because this was supposed to be what his turn to 'evil' was hinged on, how unfair he was treated, but the way he was treated was not believable to any extent. Thor's/Odin's/everyone else's prejudice instead seems to have come from literally nowhere, and it just makes all those dialogues read extremely hollow and false. It's just extremely illogical.

Overall, I really really wish Disney gave this contract to someone else, both because of all the drama around Lee and how poorly done this felt. The next one supposedly follows Nebula and Gamora (some of my favorite characters), but now, I'll definitely be skipping it, and anything else Lee writes.

Honestly this series is just a bunch of Shadowhunter rom-coms but I'm here for it.

Since this series is not just written by Clare, I had some issues in book 1 with Magnus and Alec not always reading like themselves/the fact that the book didn't really read like the rest of the books. However, I knew that going into the second book, and I was able to appreciate it a lot more for what it was, rather than what it wasn't. No, it's not like the rest of the books (for one, it's a LOT less serious), but in the end, I enjoyed that a lot more this time around.

Honestly the best part of this series for me is getting to see more of Magnus and Alec at different stages in their relationship, and the fact that this series also focuses more on their relationship (and the emotional side of the shadowhunter world) meant it really got to shine in this book. We get to see how they handle parenting while still having a dangerous job, how they balance time for themselves and time with Max, and more, all wrapped in some great comedy. I also really enjoyed that the rest of the cast returned for this book as well, since we got to see how they're doing after the war/Simon's Ascension, and got more about how Alec relates to everyone in the group (since he's had some strained relationships with some of them in the past). It was a book filled with nostalgia that still provided a lot of new insight into these characters I've been reading for years.

Even though this book was overall less serious, it still had quite an interesting plot. We're learning more about the Princes of Hell, the eldest curses, and the Princes' plans and desires for the future, which honestly could be super dark but it ends up being lightened by how comedic all the villains are written in this book. Sammael, literally the lead Prince of Hell, is the funniest character in the book, and it throws off the entire standard hero vs. villain dynamic (even the Shadowhunters mention how offputting he is). It allows for this story to remain a rom-com while still actually providing something to the Shadowhunter world, and I think Clare and Chu really found the perfect balance for this in this book! Yes, there's almost death, dangerous traps, and plenty of demons, but there's also plenty of comedic relief that the book doesn't feel heavy at all as a read, like most of the Shadowhunter books usually are.

Overall, this series is really growing on me, and I can't wait for book 3!

Look, Kuang, I just want to talk. I want to understand why you made me love Rin, Kitay, Nezha, Venka, all of them, just to do THAT. Like, what the fuck?

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I really do NOT want to spoil this for anyone (trust me, it's better if you go in expecting nothing but concentrated PAIN). This book was good, this series was good, and I don't think I'll ever read a series that better looks at war, oppression, and colonization from so many angles. This series has overall been one of the best political fantasy series I've ever read, and this final book only cements that.

Kuang pulls no punches with this one (not like she did with The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic, to be fair). She writes war in such a brutally honest way that each line just hurts, each new twist and turn and development just hurts more and more. War isn't pretty, from any angle, and this book reminds us of that. It also is not just about winning or losing a war, but about the consequences of actions taken within them, and touches on pandemics, famine, and power vacuums that follow in the wake of years of fighting.

On top of all the horrors, though, is a writing that's so hauntingly beautiful that makes reading about endless war and atrocities bearable. The Poppy War has been a series that, from the start, has been insanely well written, and the finale is only more so. Kuang has only grown with her story, and I'd honestly read anything she writes even if I care fuck all for the content. She writes war in such a way that doesn't make it beautiful or suddenly worthy, but shows it in all its brutality and pain that it makes you ache. She shows you the truth of the world (Nikara, but also in a sense, our own), but does so in a way that's enjoyable as well as painful.

I don't think I'll ever get over this series. Kuang finished this series in such a way that made it impossible to, even if I wanted to try. This book is dark, painful, yet fantastic, and is overall a work of art. The Burning God remains consistent with the rest of the series as well, and you can make of that vague statement what you will. I loved this series, and I can't wait to hold a physical of this book come November, and see how everyone else reacts to the end of this fantastic series.

“The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.”

Stars (Out of 10): 10/10 Stars

Overall Thoughts: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!! It was everything I needed at the moment. Some good high fantasy always gets me out of my small reading ruts! I fell in love with the characters almost right away, with Mare even in the first chapter! The plot also kept me incredibly hooked, and I found the pages almost flipped themselves with how entranced I was by this book. The world building was also phenomenal as it explained the facets of this strange, new society, and explained both the Red culture and Silver culture. Such a great read, that I definitely do recommend to readers of high fantasy!

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE

The Good: I loved the characters, the plot, the world, the interactions, the narration style, the everything! I explain a bit more in the separate categories, but I did seem to find every facet of this book extremely intriguing!

The Bad: Nothing comes to mind for this category actually, which is why this book sits at 10 stars!

The Characters: I loved the diversity we saw here, since we got to explore both societies, and their interactions within them, and between them. We also saw both peasants and the courts, and how those interacted differently as well. We seemed to get a double view of everything as well, such as Silvers from the Red Villages, and Silvers in their own courts. I also loved the characters themselves, from Cal to Mare, and the trick artist himself Maven. I also loved seeing the varying powers of everyone, and how that seemed to affect their personalities as well.

The Plot: I loved what this author did with the idea she had, and how it all played out. I was definitely expecting failure at the end, but not the kind of failure and trickery that actually ended up occurring. And Shade being alive! It definitely kept me intrigued, and I lost myself (and time) in reading this book, which hasn’t been happening as frequently lately!

The World Building: I loved what Aveyard did with the world in this book. We get introduced to so many aspects of it in this book, from seeing the hard working Reds and the arena battles they must visit, to the court life of the Silvers, and how cunning you must be to survive it. We also see a peak at the people even lower than the standard Reds, and I’m definitely intrigued in the part that will play later!

The Favorite Character: Mare! (although she can sometimes be a bit stubborn and quick to fight)

Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it!

This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/