This is such a fantastic concept that I feel is mired down by arbitrary conflicts and some insufferable characters. I normally don't have issues with this, but I could not look past the "man written by a woman" feeling that touched many male characters this novel. 

It's getting a 3 star for the idea and for it being a fairly fun read, but overall I was disappointed in the execution and will unfortunately not be pursuing the sequels. 

For all we heard about Lara's skills in the previous book, it was fantastic to see them REALLY put to use in this sequel. For lovers of sword fights, strategy, and jailbreaks, you have your fill in this book. Personally, I felt the ending conflict had a few unnecessary plot elements that didn't add to the story -- space in the text I believe could have been better used for the denouement (aka more time with Aren/Lara aka more fluff thank u). 

On the topic of fluff, expect a lot more angst and pining in this sequel. In general, the one aspect of the first novel that I miss were scenes dedicated to characters talking or bantering or otherwise exploring the myriad of dynamics (like between the twins) that were so excellent in the Bridge Kingdom. The bonds in the first novel were fantastic and helped the author weave this wonderful tapestry of a fantasy world, and I felt they were really missed here. I understand war changes us but moments of humanity can happen during whatever respite you get. 

I think this opportunity was especially missed with her sisters! I wanted to learn so much more about them and am sad they showed up, kicked ass, and then just disappeared for the rest of the book AHH! Give me cute sister bonding catch-up moments pls

 
 
I feel like Lara's "literally perfect weapon" status was amplified even more here, almost to the book's detriment. I felt no tension at what happened to her in her battles, especially as we neared the ending, since she is quite possibly a god instead. The final third of the book floundered a bit for me as well as the story took so many fast twists and turns that, as a reader, I barely had a chance to wrap my head around what was happening before we moved on. Again, I think having a few extra scenes centred on reunions, chatting about weird strategy minutiae or any other reason for characters to interact (outside of re-hashing who they can trust in the war; talking shit to Lara's face; or debating whether or not Aren/Lara can get back together) would have helped pace this a little better.

In all, I still loved this series and it has earned itself on my bookshelf as titles I will gladly re-read (and re-read and re-read) in the future. As much as I complain, it's simply because I want more of the content that Jensen has so clearly shown that she kicks ass at. I can't wait to see where she takes this in the coming sequels!

Huge ending spoiler rant:

In all honesty, I wish she would have cut the ending portcullis scene or let Lara die. It felt like a cheap last "but one more thing!" before we had our happy ending, after a series of impossible victories after impossible victories on Lara's part. While I'm happy she lived, I think letting her die would be a commendable and brave decision on the author's part, especially given the constant theme of Aren having to pick between his two loves: Lara or his people. For her to die and come back cheapened the ending for me, but I hope this means we'll see more of these two (even in passing) in future novels in this series.

In my mind, having her swim through the sharks and basically collapse in exhaustion for Aren to carry back to shore would have been enough. You could have included all the declarations into the "i'm waking up in bed after surviving the impossible" scene (that still feels valid since she basically ran around losing blood for days/hours and swam through sharks) without adding even more impossible injuries to her like her cracked ribs and literal drowning. I have a lot of feelings about this i am sorry

Do not trust your initial impression based on the cover/title -- this is way more than your usual fantasy(?) romance novel! 

I picked this up for the enemies to lovers plot but was immediately swept away by the world the author constructed. Even without the romance elements, I was incredibly invested in the politics and fates of the kingdoms and characters. The author manages to balance the political unrest and deceit that drives the main plot with the romance subplot in a way that they feel complimentary to each other -- while it is the slow burn of all slow burns, I found the journey there still immensely enjoyable. 

Characterization and themes explored aren't all that deep which is holding it back from a higher rating, but overall the story is so much fun that it doesn't even matter. If you're looking for adventure and love and angst, definitely give this a go. 

Can't wait to dive into the sequel.

this story is so adorable and heart-warming. i wish there was a little less focus on misunderstanding/miscommunication but the author made a concerted effort to lessen how long we suffered from it, but otherwise i adore both of these characters so much. the family dynamics and friendships are so key!

this is a lovely story with a fantastic idea for a magical system. there definitely is very little nuance in the characterizations of people and I wish the author delved more into character exploration + growth altogether. a fun romp nonetheless.

The plot at the end is non-sensical and full of contrivances for the sake of a love triangle. So much is built around (spoilers for end of book)

intending to betray Soren but with his father's interest in her, she would have been poised to kill him and have a sympathetic ally (Soren) take the throne </spoilers> . Why??

The banter in this book is like nothing else. It's incredible to see such a wholesome romance spawned out of friendship in an "unlikely lovers" story. The relationship and dynamic between Ildiko and Brishen helped smooth over some plot bumps and other issues I had with the story (pacing weirdness, lacking character depth, etc.) to make this a truly enjoyable read I'll have to revisit again the future. 

I especially think certain romance elements hindered the exploration of the world, the cultural differences between the couple, and the magic system, but I hope those will be fleshed out more in the sequels. 

This is a cute story with a love interest who is literally so incredibly perfect -- maybe to his detriment. Jas and Ivan are super sweet together. I'm personally not a huge fan of protagonists who are unable to express their feelings (even when they are very much caught up in them) so it dampened the conclusion of the story for me, but overall this was a fun read.

also the author slowly unravelling moments of Ivan clearly pining and caring for Jas when she's not aware of what's going on (or wholly conscious) is like crack and I could not get enough. i wish they spent more time exploring when his teasing/jabs turned to something more because again that shit is my drug but we can't win them all can we