I loved this the first time I read this, and I loved this even more the second time around.

I love that each of Leigh's Grishaverse series is very distinct yet still revolving around the same ideas of magic, belonging, and found family. The original trilogy was about the Grisha, the Six of Crows duology was more about those without magic and the dark underbelly of the world, and while this duology returns to focus more on Grisha again, it does so more in terms of mythology and the idea of Saints. You see this from the very beginning, where more and more saints are mentioned, and the culture and beliefs of Ravka come more to the front. I love how we see the idea of a saint challenged from all angles, both within and outside Ravka, and that this duology as a whole tries to answer the question of what makes a Saint.

I loved Nikolai in the original trilogy (Zoya a bit less), and getting to see the story from his point of view is amazing. I love seeing how he views the world, how he puzzles out victories from the tightest of corners, and how he does it all while trying to remain as optimistic as possible. It was heartbreaking to see that optimism stretched, to see others try and break it, but it only made me love him more, for now we learned of his resilience and courage even more.

Zoya also quickly become a strong favorite, and while I love that this book gave her some weakness and vulnerability, I loved seeing her unwavering strength even more. She is cold, she is cunning, and she is cruel, but she is the weapon the world made her to be, the weapon Nikolai needs. I can't wait to see where the rest of this story takes her, and I'm extremely intrigued how far they're taking Grisha magic with Zoya, and the new knowledge she has gained in this book.

I also loved seeing Nina again, and while her point of view may have been one of the hardest ones of the three we had, I also felt it was an important aspect of this story to see. We often see death and pain in our fantasy stories, but we don't always stick around long enough in the fantasy world to see the long-lasting grief, to see the heroes we love bury those that they loved. It was heart shattering, and it adds an extra layer to Nina and her character. We see a new depth beyond her strength and optimism, and we get to see how she keeps going after this terrible loss. I also loved the darker turn her story took, and how it showed the true horrors of Fjerda even more (and further justified her hatred of the country).

Overall, I really liked the set-up of this duology, and can't wait to finally finish the series and see what happens next (for maybe the last time?) I think Leigh picked a perfect variety of characters to tell this story, and I can't wait to see how these POVs develop later on in this story!

This book was dense, and most authors could probably spread this content across a whole trilogy, but I loved it all the same. There were moments here and there I got a little lost, but that might be due to me taking quite a long time to read this, plus listening to it on audio (and my mind wandering for moments here and there despite my interest).

First, I love that this book is set in a world where being queer is normal, and we didn't have to deal with any homophobia or hate for the queer characters. They were able to just love who they loved, and the only issues about relationships were based on class/race (which was the main issue of the book overall, so this makes sense). It just made me really happy, just getting to see all these women love each other, and not getting shit for that aspect of their lives.

I've read a lot of books about rebellions, and the colonizers learning (willingly or not) that their occupation was not wanted nor needed, and being forcibly removed. I haven't read a lot of books where one of the POVs is one of the colonized, but who has been raised as a colonizer, and it was really intriguing reading this story from her point of view. Touraine had to deal with hate from all angles, had to confront her biases of her own people forced on her by the colonizers at a young age, and try to figure out what she wanted for herself, away from the manipulation of those around her. Luca, the queen/heir/princess, was also an interesting point of view, as a colonizer, because she was overall a gray character. She wasn't anti-rebellion, but she also wasn't pro-colonizer (her own country). She straddled a line of wanting to help those hurting and recognizing the victims of colonization as such, and as members of her kingdom that needed protecting, but also being unwilling to fully leave and sacrifice her potential title and what the colony did for her country. She was constantly rationalizing her decision to stay, or pushing off actual action until she was in a safer position of power, and this book was her learning that change isn't always safe, and sometimes you just have to push for what is right, no matter the personal cost. It meant she had to learn alongside Touraine, but we didn't have a phase of her being horrendously racist and horrible just to see her grow later. She was far from perfect, and allowed for the suffering of the colonized to continue, and we still were able to see her grow from this without having her start off as irredeemable.

It's hard to specifically discuss the plot without spoilers, since so much happens in this book beyond what the synopsis introduced. It's a story that kept me on my toes, unsure of what would happen next. Touraine was in many positions in this book as she learned her culture and country again, and each position led to a new angle for the plot to take and tell the story from. I think I'm still getting used to the insane amount of content adult fantasy contains in terms of plot, but I loved how full this book was, and how no moment felt stagnant or like we were waiting for something to happen.

Overall, I loved this and I can't wait to read the sequel! (I also can't wait to read more of the 2021 sapphic BIPOC fantasy trifecta!)

I really wish I'd loved this one

I was super hyped for this one, as the synopsis sounded amazing, and in the end I was sorta pleased with how it all went? It was atmospheric, and I ended up being really into the romance and everything else, but it always felt like there was something missing, just barely not making things perfect for me.

It's kind of hard to pinpoint what that missing piece exactly was, but I think a bit of it may have come from me expecting a stronger gothic feel to the whole story that wasn't always very strongly there. It was almost always present in the background of the story, but sometimes I could almost forget that this was a gothic fantasy at all. In that sense, maybe this story sometimes had trouble blending different elements and genres present together, as moments where the magic system and royalty of the world took over meant the gothic aspect faded. This was also true when the romance was the focus of the scene. I think this lack of consistent 'vibes', for lack of better word, may have been what made a bit of a disconnect for me. It sometimes felt like I was swapping stories, but with the same characters.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the book. There were many moments where I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see if the characters would make it out of this next harrowing moment okay. There was also no shortage of twists, meaning I went into every chapter curious what it would bring next. I also loved how the magic system weaved into the plot, and how having a magic system so focused on anatomy only strengthened aspects of the plot/gothic atmosphere.

Wren and Hal individually were also quite interesting and strong characters, and for most of the book, I was most interested in them. I loved how Wren grappled with being kind in a world that didn't want her to be, and how Hal struggled similarly as well, except with learning to forgive himself for past unkindness. Their discussions about morality and it's relation to nationalism and duty to their respective kingdoms were interesting, and I love how that played into their perception of self and each other.

Overall, I think I loved the romance the most, though. It still wasn't one of my top romances ever, but I loved what it brought to the story, and there were so many moments where I loved these two together, and how they tried to hold the other up when they would falter. (Also, I really love the bi rep here! And how it just exists without having to be dissected or explained.)

Overall, I definitely will read future books by this author, and can't wait to see what's next!

First off, the concept this book is built on is super fascinating, and wholly unique from things I've read before. It's set in this world's version of the afterlife, Infinity, and follows Nami after her untimely death as a teenager. However, this world has been taken over by AI, namely one that everyone has been using in the real world to do their bidding for the past few years (think Siri and Alexa). Including AI opened a whole new can of worms regarding humanity, morality, and who deserves the chance to be alive and be free.

The setting of the story is built on a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, and overall feels like a dystopian novel with touches of magic and more focus on the humanity of things vs. the science. There are loads of tech that both sides of the conflict are using, but the addition of sci-fi makes the world feel less concrete and clear-cut, as any lines that science draws, magic can overcome. It leads to a world with rules that both sides are constantly trying to overcome, either through experimentation or sheer force of will. It was a perfect setting for the discussions Bowman then introduced into the story through plot and characters.

What was strongest for me in this book was Nami, and the way her thoughts seemed to break through the binary of good and evil that humans and AI, or residents, seemed to paint around themselves to keep themselves from thinking too much about the pain they were inflicting on others. The other side was evil, and therefore any pain they felt was unimportant. Nami tried and hoped to change that, and it was a running theme throughout the book. She had discussions about change with both sides, about accepting and giving the other side a chance to show their 'humanity.'

I also loved how AI as a whole was handled in this story. From the beginning, Nami is a character that thinks of Ophelia/AI as something more than just a tool to be used, unlike most of those around her. It makes her stand out when she reaches Infinity, and the questions she poses regarding the humanity and worth of those who aren't truly human, and how everyone deserves a chance to choose and be free led to interesting conversations between Nami and other characters.

Most of my reading this book was spent thinking about these things and wondering where the book would eventually take it. Would Nami be forced into the binary anyway due to the rigidity of the opinion of those around her? Would she be able to make the divide between the residents and the humans smaller? But then, in the last few chapters, almost all thoughts of this were pushed away to due to the pure shock that came with the plot twist. I think I'm still reeling from it! I was so focused on everything else to even see any of the signs!

Overall, I'm really excited for the sequel and to see where this series goes!

Okay I loved this so much more on a second read through. For some reason, when remembering this series, I always remember loving book 1 so much more than book 2, but now I think that's reversed. Honestly, that memory might just be due to the fact that I really did not remember this book at all apparently? Everything I that I thought was going to happen in this book ended up happening in SOC already, so I had an almost clean slate going into this one (except for some things I remembered about the ending).

I absolutely love that this book gives all the characters the space to have their character arcs grow further/finish (for now), while also not sacrificing the plot to do so. This sequel is full of just as many heists and tricks and last minute plan changes as the first book, even if it feels a bit more like a string of smaller conflicts leading up to a giant main conflict. I also feel like Kaz's on the spot planning is much more on display in this book, purely because nothing goes right the first 5 times the characters attempt it in this one. It's like this book is catered to show all the Crow's strengths, while also making it still feel cohesive and not just like catering to the fans.

I also think, having now finished all the Grishaverse series', that this was Leigh's best closing to a series. It is far from wholly positive, but it feels like a good closing/stopping point in all the characters' stories. It also leaves enough room both for readers to imagine their own futures, but also for Leigh to return (like she does with Nina in the King of Scars duology). It just overall felt really solid, solidly closing off the duology without sealing it shut.

It's always tougher to review books I really love, and this one is no exception. I couldn't stop tabbing all the places and scenes and quotes I loved, and I can't wait to reread this series again in the future!