shona_reads_in_devon's Reviews (529)

I am very late to the party with this.

We all know the deal with Fourth Wing I think? Military style academy, dragons, magic, spicy spice, broody broody MMC and the 'fragile' but intelligent and powerful FMC. It's got all the good stuff of a romantasy.

I didn't think I was going to like this at the start. I found some of Violet's internal dialogue a bit annoying and it took me (and Violet's voice) a minute to settle in.

But once it kicked off, I was totally invested. I enjoyed Violet and Xaden's relationship. I'm suitably annoyed with Dain like everyone else! I've become fond of the side characters (at my peril!)

The world building is great - I want more, but I think the nature of the plot is going to bring that out more in the next book. 

The dragons? Oh the dragons. Please can I bond to a dragon now? 

The balance of battles/fighting/strategy with plot/character development is perfect - I can't get on board with endless fighting and the battle scenes are, at times,  quite long - but well staged and really well described so you don't get lost and can picture the action really well. 

The main relationship is central to the plot - it's a large part of the focus and it's integral to other plot developments - but it isn't the only facet to the story and it's weaved in nicely with the overarching political bent of the plot. The spice isn't overwhelming which is perfect for me and it develops organically and isn't just shoved in there for the sake of it.

I'm very annoyed that I don't yet own the next one!

This is a welcome return to Elfhame. Following on about eight years after the Battle of the Serpent, the little queen, Suren is our FMC here, and Oak is a teenager on a quest.

Holly Black does great FMCs. Suren/Wren is every bit as complex and interesting as Jude was before her and it is the FMCs that keep me coming back to these novels. Wren's story is a heartbreaking one of neglect and trauma and reading her navigation of moving through that is, at times, painful. The rules of Faerieland don't lend easily to trusting relationships.

Oak is a fun character - it's easy to see how Wren is drawn in, against her better judgement. Watching Wren and Oak tease out the best and worst of each other was enjoyable to read.

I found the plot slightly slower, and the various machinations harder to keep track of this time - I didn't fall into this one as quickly as The Cruel Prince - Wren is no less compelling as an FMC I don't think, but this one felt immediately darker and heavier than The Cruel Prince.

In true Black fashion though, it's end is spectacular and left me needing to pick up the next one immediately - luckily I have it right here!

I've seen a few reviews saying that this sequel isn't as good as the first one but I don't know what people are reading because this was fantastic.

Carrying on almost immediately from the end of the first novel, I was nervous that all the wonderful tension and slow burn of the Kejari was going to be wasted with the reality of Raihn's betrayal of Oraya and her now hatred of him.

But Carissa absolutely managed this balance perfectly, reintroducing the push and pull of their feelings really well. At times it felt pushed a *little* too far but overall it was convincing.

I loved the exploration of Oraya's relationship with her dad, the uncovering of her family history and how this fed into the overall plot.

The politics and machinations of the various houses continued - I'm excited to see if/how this continues in subsequent novels.

I'll be recommending these two books to anyone that will listen.