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Reign of Shadows #2
Rise of Fire
Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever. Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the king discovers both Fowler's and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne. Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler, but the power she was destined to inherit.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2017
129 people are currently reading
6410 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Jordan
72 books8,912 followersPseudonym:
Sharie Kohler
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
Sharie Kohler
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
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February 9, 2017
After the ending of Reign of Shadows, I was dying to get my hands on the next book. I thought this was a trilogy, so I had planned on holding off on reading RoF until book 3 was almost out. Then I found out it was a duology...
I still liked Luna and Fowler, but this time I definitely saw faults. Her blindness was something that irritated me the entire time. There were so many things she does or experiences that are described as if she had sight. Then there would be a vague mention of her special spidey sense and I'm guessing I was supposed to forget Luna was just running from one side of the castle to another without issue. No.
For me, the setting inside the castle really took something away from the story. I wasn't captivated by talk of betrothals and conquering kingdoms. All of the things I enjoyed so much in the first book were missing.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it and the ending is satisfying; however, i was still disappointed. I wanted dwellers and fighting. I wanted an epic showdown, not a lukewarm situation that left me shaking my head.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc free of charge**
I still liked Luna and Fowler, but this time I definitely saw faults. Her blindness was something that irritated me the entire time. There were so many things she does or experiences that are described as if she had sight. Then there would be a vague mention of her special spidey sense and I'm guessing I was supposed to forget Luna was just running from one side of the castle to another without issue. No.
For me, the setting inside the castle really took something away from the story. I wasn't captivated by talk of betrothals and conquering kingdoms. All of the things I enjoyed so much in the first book were missing.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it and the ending is satisfying; however, i was still disappointed. I wanted dwellers and fighting. I wanted an epic showdown, not a lukewarm situation that left me shaking my head.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc free of charge**
February 7, 2017
Meh.
Just kidding. 1 star.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan
Book Two of the Reign of Shadows series
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Rating: 1 star
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
The richly suspenseful sequel to Sophie Jordan’s romantic fantasy Reign of Shadows.
Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever.
Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the king discovers both Fowler's and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne.
Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler, but the power she was destined to inherit.
What I Liked:
That didn't take long. Rise of Fire is my second read of 2017, and it's a two-star read. My first read, Wayfarer, was great, but this one was incredibly disappointing and irritating. I partially regret reading this duology, even though I loved Reign of Shadows.
This sequel novel picks up exactly where Reign of Shadows leaves off - with Fowler trapped among dwellers, and Luna dropping after him. Luna finds him and together, they leave the dwellers' nest behind. But Fowler has been infected with dweller toxin, and he sickens quickly. The pair is rescued by solders of Lagonia, who take them to the king of Lagonia. King Tebald is cruel and ruthless and recognizes Luna as her mother's daughter immediately, as well as Fowler as the prince of Relhok. He allows for Fowler to be taken care of by his healers... because Fowler and his daughter Maris have been betrothed since birth. But upon learning that Luna is the true ruler of Relhok, King Tebald decides that two weddings are better than one, and Luna will marry his heir, Prince Chasan. Trapped in Lagonia and with no place to run, Fowler and Luna must trust each other and find a way out.
Redeeming qualities of this book... it ends well. The ending is warm and fuzzy and is a hasty attempt at reclaiming the book's positive attributes (whatever they were). I love a happy ending, regardless of how awful the story was beforehand.
Other redeeming qualities... Fowler is possibly the only person in this book with a functioning brain. It's too bad that he's sick and dying for more than half the book. Even then, he's still the only person that seems to have a good grip on reality. I always liked Fowler, and he is the only character in this entire sequel/conclusion novel that I liked.
Moving on.
What I Did Not Like:
Ahhhh. Where do I even start? This book was an absolute train wreck (for me). As always, keep in mind that these are my reactions and feelings, and your own reactions and feelings might be quite different. Still, this section is worth the read!
First thing - Luna. I wanted to bang my head against the nearest wall, or throttle her, throughout the entire book. There was not one scene when I felt like I liked her like I did in Reign of Shadows. She's so stubborn and not in a good way; every time she dug her heels in, she got hurt, or Fowler got hurt because of her. She refused to run in certain situations, or hide, or back down, and in all of those cases, her stubbornness was utter stupidity. What kills me about her stubbornness? She refuses to "take orders" from Fowler, because I-am-woman-I-will-not-be-ordered-around. SERIOUSLY?! You'd rather die than take an order to hide? This isn't feminist, this is pure stupidity. Luna never recognized when it was time to be stubborn and when it was time to tuck her tail between her legs and find that shred of self-preservation. You know how some heroes/heroines have a selfless, saving-people quality? I could see Sophie Jordan trying to make Luna a character with that quality... honestly Luna came off as stupid and idiotically stubborn.
Furthermore, to add to her fake feminism, about three quarters of the way into the story, she suddenly has three men fighting over who is going to marry her. And what does she say? Out loud? NOTHING. Not a word. She lets the king and two princes talk over her (easy, because she doesn't say a word). She lets the king declare her marriage to his son (and then himself, when he changes his mind). She lets Fowler and Chasan literally fight (i.e. punch, kick, fight to the death) over her. There was an actual fistfight duel in this book! And she said nothing! Did nothing to prevent it! And yet she loves Fowler and is always declaring how she's going to do things her way? But she never once resisted any of the marriage declarations that King Tebald made. Not once.
Somebody explain that feminism to me. And don't tell me it was a calculated silence - no, girlfriend was shriveled and shocked and silenced like a lamb. Or... a weak little girl. At 75% into the conclusion of a series, this is not what I wanted to see. Instead of a fully fledged kickbutt heroine that Luna likes to pretend that she is, we have a cowering, weak girl.
And I'm not finished yet! The romance in this book is a load of dung! Luna goes through at least nine changes of feelings towards Fowler in this book. She decides that she no longer has feelings for him when she learns who his father is (um, what?). Then she decides that she really does have feelings for him. But then she hates him again when he mutters a name in his fevered sleep. And then she fights for him, and then hates him again when she learns that he is betrothed (since birth and by royal decree, but that doesn't reach Luna's tiny brain), and it. Keeps. Going. I swear I have whiplash from all of that deciding about her feelings.
What's worse? There is a sort-of love triangle in this book! Don't get me wrong, Luna only has feelings for Fowler (on and off, as I mentioned, but no one else). Fowler, bless him, has feelings for Luna only (and never wavers). But of course enter Princess Maris, Fowler's betrothed, and her handsome but slimy older brother Prince Chasan, who sinks his claws into Luna. There is no romance between Chasan and Luna, or Fowler and Maris. BUT. The inclusion of these two characters (Maris and Chasan) is clearly to throw a wrench in the romance. Honestly this is so unnecessary and annoying.
Perhaps I misspoke - there is romance on Chasan's part. After like, two days? He is in love with Luna. I mean moony and possessive type of love. It's sickening and ridiculous and unnecessary. WHY is Chasan in this story? To torment readers. To add an "interesting" element to the romance? I assure you, there is nothing interesting or fun about this unnecessary "love triangle". Chasan's feelings, coupled with Luna's wishy-washy feelings towards Fowler, were obnoxious.
So, the romance in this book is off-putting, poorly written, and dissatisfying - to say the least. I have a great deal of respect for Fowler, who is so in love with Luna throughout the entire story, and is a gentleman in every way. Fowler redeems the story a little. Luna deserves exactly zero square inches of his dirty socks, let alone him.
The climax of this book is so jumbled and rushed! This book ends so haphazardly, it's like the author threw it together and put same tape to hold it all together (does that comparison make sense?). There was a certain death and Fowler is casually okay with it? I'm not buying it. The ending was disjointed and it just didn't fit well. Especially with a deus ex machina move that Luna pulls - the author was probably scrambling for a way to save the ending. Deus ex machina, people. Look it up.
I am so irritated! This book was incredibly infuriating, especially after a great start to the series with Reign of Shadows. I haven't read a Sophie Jordan YA series that I actually liked.
Would I Recommend It:
I highly do not recommend this book, or series. Of course, if you've read Reign of Shadows, you should probably decide for yourself and read this book, because there is a good chance that you'll enjoy this book (as always). But if you were on the fence about reading Rise of Fire, or the series in general, don't. Don't do it! Not worth the time/effort/money. Thank goodness it only took me like, two hours to read this book (what was up with that, by the way? This book felt so short).
Rating:
1.5 stars -> rounded down to 1 star. Originally I gave the book 2 stars, but even the redeeming qualities (the few of them) weren't enough to save this one. I'm so frustrated I could scream! And to think, I'm about to read another Jordan book very soon (an adult one though - Fury on Fire. Reviews have been negative so far. Joy!).
Just kidding. 1 star.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan
Book Two of the Reign of Shadows series
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Rating: 1 star
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
The richly suspenseful sequel to Sophie Jordan’s romantic fantasy Reign of Shadows.
Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever.
Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the king discovers both Fowler's and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne.
Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler, but the power she was destined to inherit.
What I Liked:
That didn't take long. Rise of Fire is my second read of 2017, and it's a two-star read. My first read, Wayfarer, was great, but this one was incredibly disappointing and irritating. I partially regret reading this duology, even though I loved Reign of Shadows.
This sequel novel picks up exactly where Reign of Shadows leaves off - with Fowler trapped among dwellers, and Luna dropping after him. Luna finds him and together, they leave the dwellers' nest behind. But Fowler has been infected with dweller toxin, and he sickens quickly. The pair is rescued by solders of Lagonia, who take them to the king of Lagonia. King Tebald is cruel and ruthless and recognizes Luna as her mother's daughter immediately, as well as Fowler as the prince of Relhok. He allows for Fowler to be taken care of by his healers... because Fowler and his daughter Maris have been betrothed since birth. But upon learning that Luna is the true ruler of Relhok, King Tebald decides that two weddings are better than one, and Luna will marry his heir, Prince Chasan. Trapped in Lagonia and with no place to run, Fowler and Luna must trust each other and find a way out.
Redeeming qualities of this book... it ends well. The ending is warm and fuzzy and is a hasty attempt at reclaiming the book's positive attributes (whatever they were). I love a happy ending, regardless of how awful the story was beforehand.
Other redeeming qualities... Fowler is possibly the only person in this book with a functioning brain. It's too bad that he's sick and dying for more than half the book. Even then, he's still the only person that seems to have a good grip on reality. I always liked Fowler, and he is the only character in this entire sequel/conclusion novel that I liked.
Moving on.
What I Did Not Like:
Ahhhh. Where do I even start? This book was an absolute train wreck (for me). As always, keep in mind that these are my reactions and feelings, and your own reactions and feelings might be quite different. Still, this section is worth the read!
First thing - Luna. I wanted to bang my head against the nearest wall, or throttle her, throughout the entire book. There was not one scene when I felt like I liked her like I did in Reign of Shadows. She's so stubborn and not in a good way; every time she dug her heels in, she got hurt, or Fowler got hurt because of her. She refused to run in certain situations, or hide, or back down, and in all of those cases, her stubbornness was utter stupidity. What kills me about her stubbornness? She refuses to "take orders" from Fowler, because I-am-woman-I-will-not-be-ordered-around. SERIOUSLY?! You'd rather die than take an order to hide? This isn't feminist, this is pure stupidity. Luna never recognized when it was time to be stubborn and when it was time to tuck her tail between her legs and find that shred of self-preservation. You know how some heroes/heroines have a selfless, saving-people quality? I could see Sophie Jordan trying to make Luna a character with that quality... honestly Luna came off as stupid and idiotically stubborn.
Furthermore, to add to her fake feminism, about three quarters of the way into the story, she suddenly has three men fighting over who is going to marry her. And what does she say? Out loud? NOTHING. Not a word. She lets the king and two princes talk over her (easy, because she doesn't say a word). She lets the king declare her marriage to his son (and then himself, when he changes his mind). She lets Fowler and Chasan literally fight (i.e. punch, kick, fight to the death) over her. There was an actual fistfight duel in this book! And she said nothing! Did nothing to prevent it! And yet she loves Fowler and is always declaring how she's going to do things her way? But she never once resisted any of the marriage declarations that King Tebald made. Not once.
Somebody explain that feminism to me. And don't tell me it was a calculated silence - no, girlfriend was shriveled and shocked and silenced like a lamb. Or... a weak little girl. At 75% into the conclusion of a series, this is not what I wanted to see. Instead of a fully fledged kickbutt heroine that Luna likes to pretend that she is, we have a cowering, weak girl.
And I'm not finished yet! The romance in this book is a load of dung! Luna goes through at least nine changes of feelings towards Fowler in this book. She decides that she no longer has feelings for him when she learns who his father is (um, what?). Then she decides that she really does have feelings for him. But then she hates him again when he mutters a name in his fevered sleep. And then she fights for him, and then hates him again when she learns that he is betrothed (since birth and by royal decree, but that doesn't reach Luna's tiny brain), and it. Keeps. Going. I swear I have whiplash from all of that deciding about her feelings.
What's worse? There is a sort-of love triangle in this book! Don't get me wrong, Luna only has feelings for Fowler (on and off, as I mentioned, but no one else). Fowler, bless him, has feelings for Luna only (and never wavers). But of course enter Princess Maris, Fowler's betrothed, and her handsome but slimy older brother Prince Chasan, who sinks his claws into Luna. There is no romance between Chasan and Luna, or Fowler and Maris. BUT. The inclusion of these two characters (Maris and Chasan) is clearly to throw a wrench in the romance. Honestly this is so unnecessary and annoying.
Perhaps I misspoke - there is romance on Chasan's part. After like, two days? He is in love with Luna. I mean moony and possessive type of love. It's sickening and ridiculous and unnecessary. WHY is Chasan in this story? To torment readers. To add an "interesting" element to the romance? I assure you, there is nothing interesting or fun about this unnecessary "love triangle". Chasan's feelings, coupled with Luna's wishy-washy feelings towards Fowler, were obnoxious.
So, the romance in this book is off-putting, poorly written, and dissatisfying - to say the least. I have a great deal of respect for Fowler, who is so in love with Luna throughout the entire story, and is a gentleman in every way. Fowler redeems the story a little. Luna deserves exactly zero square inches of his dirty socks, let alone him.
The climax of this book is so jumbled and rushed! This book ends so haphazardly, it's like the author threw it together and put same tape to hold it all together (does that comparison make sense?). There was a certain death and Fowler is casually okay with it? I'm not buying it. The ending was disjointed and it just didn't fit well. Especially with a deus ex machina move that Luna pulls - the author was probably scrambling for a way to save the ending. Deus ex machina, people. Look it up.
I am so irritated! This book was incredibly infuriating, especially after a great start to the series with Reign of Shadows. I haven't read a Sophie Jordan YA series that I actually liked.
Would I Recommend It:
I highly do not recommend this book, or series. Of course, if you've read Reign of Shadows, you should probably decide for yourself and read this book, because there is a good chance that you'll enjoy this book (as always). But if you were on the fence about reading Rise of Fire, or the series in general, don't. Don't do it! Not worth the time/effort/money. Thank goodness it only took me like, two hours to read this book (what was up with that, by the way? This book felt so short).
Rating:
1.5 stars -> rounded down to 1 star. Originally I gave the book 2 stars, but even the redeeming qualities (the few of them) weren't enough to save this one. I'm so frustrated I could scream! And to think, I'm about to read another Jordan book very soon (an adult one though - Fury on Fire. Reviews have been negative so far. Joy!).
January 17, 2020
Oh my God.
This is the most insta-lovey, cringey, cheesy dialogue story I have ever read.
Barf.
This is the most insta-lovey, cringey, cheesy dialogue story I have ever read.
Barf.
March 23, 2022
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA fantasy sequel which picked up where book 1 left off.
Both Luna and Fowler fought for what they wanted in this book, even when things seemed dire. I did think that Luna continued to do pretty well at hiding her blindness though, and she did seem to fool people.
The storyline in this picked up where book 1 left off, and Luna and Fowler ended up at Lagonia castle, seeking aid for Fowler after a skirmish with the dwellers that left him poisoned. They then got mixed up in a lot of politics and marriage proposals with the King of Lagonia, and things did look tricky for a while. We did get some action though, and the romance continued on quite nicely.
The ending to this was pretty good, and I was satisfied with the way things turned out.
6 out of 10
“This is my kingdom. I’ve always known it.”
This was a YA fantasy sequel which picked up where book 1 left off.
Both Luna and Fowler fought for what they wanted in this book, even when things seemed dire. I did think that Luna continued to do pretty well at hiding her blindness though, and she did seem to fool people.
The storyline in this picked up where book 1 left off, and Luna and Fowler ended up at Lagonia castle, seeking aid for Fowler after a skirmish with the dwellers that left him poisoned. They then got mixed up in a lot of politics and marriage proposals with the King of Lagonia, and things did look tricky for a while. We did get some action though, and the romance continued on quite nicely.
The ending to this was pretty good, and I was satisfied with the way things turned out.
6 out of 10
July 24, 2019
First of all, there's no fire in this book at all. Who came up with this title? I'm really annoyed by misleading titles.
Second, this was such a stagnant plot that I wish I hadn't finished the duo. I guess Sophie Jordan is an author who really pulls me in with her first books and then the sequels wander off. She'd be great at standalones.
Third, and most importantly, the disability rep is T E R R I B L E. I was not as educated on rep when I read the first book so I was not aware of what all that book got wrong. What I say here applies to both books. Luna is blind, and where the rep goes wrong is that all of her other senses are heightened to the point that she is more capable of tasks in the story than all of the other characters (not due to a magical ability, but that would still be bad rep). There are times when she describes things she couldn't possibly know. So, essentially the book has token representation without actual representing a true experience. To explain this much better than I can, here's one of my favorite pieces on disability rep: (Not) Engaging with Disability: Convenient Approaches in SFF (via Disability in Kidlit)
But, I am actually glad to finally knock this off my TBR so that's a plus. The world is very interesting, the royal intrigue is good, the characters are likeable, it just has some stumbling blocks.
Audiobook:I read the first book in print and this one in audio and I preferred the print experience. The guy does really bad female voicing.
tw: frequent unchecked fat shaming (after reading 7 of her books, I think she hates fat people), arranged marriages, one is a pedophile situation (17 year old and a man old enough to her father)
Second, this was such a stagnant plot that I wish I hadn't finished the duo. I guess Sophie Jordan is an author who really pulls me in with her first books and then the sequels wander off. She'd be great at standalones.
Third, and most importantly, the disability rep is T E R R I B L E. I was not as educated on rep when I read the first book so I was not aware of what all that book got wrong. What I say here applies to both books. Luna is blind, and where the rep goes wrong is that all of her other senses are heightened to the point that she is more capable of tasks in the story than all of the other characters (not due to a magical ability, but that would still be bad rep). There are times when she describes things she couldn't possibly know. So, essentially the book has token representation without actual representing a true experience. To explain this much better than I can, here's one of my favorite pieces on disability rep: (Not) Engaging with Disability: Convenient Approaches in SFF (via Disability in Kidlit)
But, I am actually glad to finally knock this off my TBR so that's a plus. The world is very interesting, the royal intrigue is good, the characters are likeable, it just has some stumbling blocks.
Audiobook:I read the first book in print and this one in audio and I preferred the print experience. The guy does really bad female voicing.
tw: frequent unchecked fat shaming (after reading 7 of her books, I think she hates fat people), arranged marriages, one is a pedophile situation (17 year old and a man old enough to her father)
February 26, 2017
Just as the first book, reign of shadows, this was again a book I couldn't put down the second I started reading it. Addictive, action packed, enthralling.. I loved every second of it! I want more, more, more! Too bad it's a duo-logy and this was really the end. I'm going to miss this world and these characters!!
January 19, 2020
3.5*
I have no idea why I decided to make this my first audiobook of the year. I can’t remember anything from the first book in the duology, yet I decided to pick this one up.
At first I was very confused with what was going on, which is my fault for forgetting the previous book. As I got deeper into the book I actually started enjoying it. It had the cliche fantasy vibe, so there was nothing special about it, but it was surprisingly good.
The part of this book that I didn’t like was the ending. It felt rushed and very random. I felt like Sophie Jordan could’ve added more detail plot.
Anyways, I have nothing against this duology, but I’m also not the biggest fan. It was a little better than an “ehh” series, so I think that others would love this. It just wasn’t for me.
Also the fact that Luna is blind is just portrayed so strangely. She literally acts like she can see the entire time and her lack of vision isn’t much of a handicap. I feel like this is a little unbelievable, but I’m not blind so I shouldn’t be talking. I swear sometimes her character said “she saw” something, but obviously she can’t so I think different word choice should’ve been used there to not confuse the reader.
I have no idea why I decided to make this my first audiobook of the year. I can’t remember anything from the first book in the duology, yet I decided to pick this one up.
At first I was very confused with what was going on, which is my fault for forgetting the previous book. As I got deeper into the book I actually started enjoying it. It had the cliche fantasy vibe, so there was nothing special about it, but it was surprisingly good.
The part of this book that I didn’t like was the ending. It felt rushed and very random. I felt like Sophie Jordan could’ve added more detail plot.
Anyways, I have nothing against this duology, but I’m also not the biggest fan. It was a little better than an “ehh” series, so I think that others would love this. It just wasn’t for me.
Also the fact that Luna is blind is just portrayed so strangely. She literally acts like she can see the entire time and her lack of vision isn’t much of a handicap. I feel like this is a little unbelievable, but I’m not blind so I shouldn’t be talking. I swear sometimes her character said “she saw” something, but obviously she can’t so I think different word choice should’ve been used there to not confuse the reader.
May 4, 2017
2.5 stars
review to come
Uuuuum .... that was disappointing *cries*
I loved Reign of Shadows and after that ending!!! I was SO excited ... and ... ugh nope
boring
review to come
Uuuuum .... that was disappointing *cries*
I loved Reign of Shadows and after that ending!!! I was SO excited ... and ... ugh nope
boring
February 7, 2017
My full review of this title can be found
here
on The Book Hookup.
♥ Teaser Quote: There's some really great moments in this book and I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised that a majority of my favorite quotes happened around kissing scenes. (*fake whispers* Kissing is my favorite.)
*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up simply because every time I had to set this down, I was anxious to pick it back up again to see how this story would conclude. Despite its readability quality, I have to say I missed the quicker pacing and the "high stakes" feeling that came with the plot from the previous one. Both of those seemed to pale in comparison to the effect they had in Reign of Shadows. Of course I adored Fowler and Luna, but that's when they were actually getting quality time together. In this novel they were met with several spoilerish circumstances that kept them apart and that was a bit of a bummer, to be perfectly honest. Additionally, I felt like the ending was a little anti-climatic and too ribbons and bows in basically a blink of an eye. Though, on the flip side, the epilogue was made of all kinds of swoony sweetness that I was excited to have conclude the book.
However, overall, I really did enjoy both books, even if I really loved the first and only kind of liked the sequel.
♥ A very special thanks to HarperTEEN and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
♥ Teaser Quote: There's some really great moments in this book and I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised that a majority of my favorite quotes happened around kissing scenes. (*fake whispers* Kissing is my favorite.)
His hands burned a trail everywhere, roaming my back, callused fingertips stroking my nape and burrowing into my hair. I trembled as he tugged my head back, his lips gliding over my throat before coming back to my mouth. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me and I wouldn't want to be anywhere except here with you."
– quote taken from the e-ARC of Rise of Fire at 92%
*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up simply because every time I had to set this down, I was anxious to pick it back up again to see how this story would conclude. Despite its readability quality, I have to say I missed the quicker pacing and the "high stakes" feeling that came with the plot from the previous one. Both of those seemed to pale in comparison to the effect they had in Reign of Shadows. Of course I adored Fowler and Luna, but that's when they were actually getting quality time together. In this novel they were met with several spoilerish circumstances that kept them apart and that was a bit of a bummer, to be perfectly honest. Additionally, I felt like the ending was a little anti-climatic and too ribbons and bows in basically a blink of an eye. Though, on the flip side, the epilogue was made of all kinds of swoony sweetness that I was excited to have conclude the book.
However, overall, I really did enjoy both books, even if I really loved the first and only kind of liked the sequel.
♥ A very special thanks to HarperTEEN and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
September 21, 2017
Rise of Fire was a disappointingly rushed and ridiculous finale to this series. While I was never the biggest fan of Reign of Shadows, especially compared to some of my friends who are completely in love with Fowler, I did think that the first book did an excellent job of setting up a decent story arc for the sequel. I was wrong.
Luna was stubborn to a fault. She repeatedly hurt the people she loved - and was trying to protect - by refusing to do something that needed to be done or taking unnecessary risks. Her stubbornness disguised itself remarkably well as determination in the first book - to the point where I actually found it quite admirable, especially because she was living with a disability in a time where showing any form of weakness meant you would be the first person sacrificed. In this sequel, her stubbornness was just that: her being stubborn when she shouldn’t have been. There were so many terrible things that could have been avoided if Luna was not so stubborn or reckless. It drove me insane to see a seriously badass and independent character become the opposite of everything I admire about them.
I also did not appreciate how Luna’s blindness was treated. I know that - at the moment, particularly - the quality of disability and other diverse elements’ representation is something under much scrutiny but if a book manages to ring false to someone who has no knowledge of the topic (like myself on visual impairments) then something is really off. Fowler even says that Luna does not act like she is blind.
Luna’s blindness was treated almost like a superpower. Her other senses were heightened to compensate for her lack of vision - which is often the case, I know - but it was heightened to the sense that it was beyond the realm of plausibility. She could sense people’s gazes and smell people’s emotion. There were too many times to count when I actually I forgot she was blind and not gifted.
Something else that really bothered me about her characterisation in this sequel - and from the reviews seems to be bothering most other readers - was how Luna responded to the love triangle/square. I understand that she was put into a sensitive situation where she had to try and survive the best she could. Maybe she decided acting meekly for a change would do that? I don’t know. What I do know is that allowing three men to fight over her - and I mean literally, Fowler and Chasan literally brawl over her (nearly to the death) - and to declare marriage to her without her permission in silence, with practically no resistance, is against everything we have seen from Luna. In the first book, she was independent to a fault. She never allowed anyone to make decisions for her or fight her own battles in her name. She fought against that. She did not want to be weak and allowing these characters - especially the man she supposedly loves - pettily fight over her is weak. I was so disappointed in Luna because of this.
With that being said, I just did not like the romance at all. For one, I still don’t quite understand Luna’s revulsion towards Fowler when his father’s identity is revealed. She even admits - later - that his father’s actions are not his own… which is pretty darn obvious. I understand she would be upset that he hid this from her, essentially lying to her. I can even see that it may have taken some time for them to work through this bump in their relationship but the sheer level of hatred she directs his way felt overly dramatic and like a plot device desperately trying to create some drama. Maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me if she had not done the same thing over and over again as more about Fowler’s past is brought up. He did not even choose to be betrothed. Why did she feel the need to act so childish about it? She should have been sorry that Fowler would have had to marry a stranger if he had not run away. The whole drama of Luna hating Fowler and then loving him again (rinse, repeat) was not in the slightest bit entertaining and drove me bonkers.
The romantic situation was not improved by the forced love triangle/square thing. I say forced because Chasan and Maris never actually get involved with Luna or Fowler so their entire presence in this book felt like a desperate attempt to keep the romance interesting. It failed.
Fowler himself was not exactly likable but compared to Luna, he was the better alternative. I did like that, despite the billion of obstacles thrown his way, he stayed unflinchingly loyal to Luna. I really could have cared whether they stayed together or not but I did appreciate his loyalty. However, with that being said, he was so freaking overly dramatic about his affection for her, like really, really dramatic. For example:
There was one scene, in particular, that will forever be imprinted on my brain and that is the one where they were covered in a thick layer of mud and crap after days of traveling on the run - think greasy hair, BO, the works - and they just start making out. Can I just say eww? I get that they are young and in love but no one can be in the mood to be making out when they are in such a state. There is literally a quote in this book saying that everyone in the Outside smells awful, let alone after being in Dweller mud. Just no. It’s cute that Fowler loves Luna not matter what but when he ended this scene with this passage I rolled my eyes:
With all that being said, it was the ending where this book really lost it for me. Even if I am not personally invested in a romance, I can often enjoy this story by itself. This is not the case in Rise of Fire. It is honestly one of the most disappointing finales I have ever read. The final conflict is so rushed it is honestly laughable. It felt like a joke. It took two books to build up a war and it took literally no more than two chapters for it to both occur and conclude. It was so easy and pointless. I still don’t know if I want to laugh or sob at how horrendously Jordan botched the ending. The epilogue was not even redeeming. There was a moment that Fowler kisses Luna to stop her talking so by that point I was so far done I could not longer deal.
Overall?
If you were iffy about the first book, I would honestly not recommend continuing on. I was unsatisfied with the direction that the story took and even more disappointed in how it concluded. The drama and the romance were godawful. It was boring and over-acted. I hated how Luna reacted to the situation and how she seemed to have lost the spunk she had in Reign of Shadows. I do not think her blindness was well represented and as a whole, I had too many problems with this book to enjoy it.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Luna was stubborn to a fault. She repeatedly hurt the people she loved - and was trying to protect - by refusing to do something that needed to be done or taking unnecessary risks. Her stubbornness disguised itself remarkably well as determination in the first book - to the point where I actually found it quite admirable, especially because she was living with a disability in a time where showing any form of weakness meant you would be the first person sacrificed. In this sequel, her stubbornness was just that: her being stubborn when she shouldn’t have been. There were so many terrible things that could have been avoided if Luna was not so stubborn or reckless. It drove me insane to see a seriously badass and independent character become the opposite of everything I admire about them.
I also did not appreciate how Luna’s blindness was treated. I know that - at the moment, particularly - the quality of disability and other diverse elements’ representation is something under much scrutiny but if a book manages to ring false to someone who has no knowledge of the topic (like myself on visual impairments) then something is really off. Fowler even says that Luna does not act like she is blind.
I knew her well enough to know that even without vision, Luan behaved as though as could see. There were very few instances where one was alerted to the fact that she was blind.
Luna’s blindness was treated almost like a superpower. Her other senses were heightened to compensate for her lack of vision - which is often the case, I know - but it was heightened to the sense that it was beyond the realm of plausibility. She could sense people’s gazes and smell people’s emotion. There were too many times to count when I actually I forgot she was blind and not gifted.
The air shifted, crackling with a dangerous energy that hadn’t been there before. My nostrils flared, smelling it, the foul intent of their thoughts coiling around me.
Something else that really bothered me about her characterisation in this sequel - and from the reviews seems to be bothering most other readers - was how Luna responded to the love triangle/square. I understand that she was put into a sensitive situation where she had to try and survive the best she could. Maybe she decided acting meekly for a change would do that? I don’t know. What I do know is that allowing three men to fight over her - and I mean literally, Fowler and Chasan literally brawl over her (nearly to the death) - and to declare marriage to her without her permission in silence, with practically no resistance, is against everything we have seen from Luna. In the first book, she was independent to a fault. She never allowed anyone to make decisions for her or fight her own battles in her name. She fought against that. She did not want to be weak and allowing these characters - especially the man she supposedly loves - pettily fight over her is weak. I was so disappointed in Luna because of this.
With that being said, I just did not like the romance at all. For one, I still don’t quite understand Luna’s revulsion towards Fowler when his father’s identity is revealed. She even admits - later - that his father’s actions are not his own… which is pretty darn obvious. I understand she would be upset that he hid this from her, essentially lying to her. I can even see that it may have taken some time for them to work through this bump in their relationship but the sheer level of hatred she directs his way felt overly dramatic and like a plot device desperately trying to create some drama. Maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me if she had not done the same thing over and over again as more about Fowler’s past is brought up. He did not even choose to be betrothed. Why did she feel the need to act so childish about it? She should have been sorry that Fowler would have had to marry a stranger if he had not run away. The whole drama of Luna hating Fowler and then loving him again (rinse, repeat) was not in the slightest bit entertaining and drove me bonkers.
The romantic situation was not improved by the forced love triangle/square thing. I say forced because Chasan and Maris never actually get involved with Luna or Fowler so their entire presence in this book felt like a desperate attempt to keep the romance interesting. It failed.
Fowler himself was not exactly likable but compared to Luna, he was the better alternative. I did like that, despite the billion of obstacles thrown his way, he stayed unflinchingly loyal to Luna. I really could have cared whether they stayed together or not but I did appreciate his loyalty. However, with that being said, he was so freaking overly dramatic about his affection for her, like really, really dramatic. For example:
The kiss burned and left its mark, burrowing past flesh and tissue to the very marrow of us - to all that would be left. It imprinted on our souls. When the dwellers tore us apart this kiss would still remain.
Luna’s life merged into mine.
She was special. An anomaly. She shouldn’t even be alive, but she was. She lived, and I wanted to pull her inside me, absorb her and keep her until I knew her as well as the shape and protrusion of my own bones. Until the taste of her was as clear to me as her own.
I held her face, skimming her face, engraving them into my soul.
There was one scene, in particular, that will forever be imprinted on my brain and that is the one where they were covered in a thick layer of mud and crap after days of traveling on the run - think greasy hair, BO, the works - and they just start making out. Can I just say eww? I get that they are young and in love but no one can be in the mood to be making out when they are in such a state. There is literally a quote in this book saying that everyone in the Outside smells awful, let alone after being in Dweller mud. Just no. It’s cute that Fowler loves Luna not matter what but when he ended this scene with this passage I rolled my eyes:
She was a mess. Her show, muddied hair jutted from her head like black straw. The milk of her skin was nowhere to be seen. Not an inch of her was spared mud and that greenish sap from the dweller’s nest. She was the most beautiful thing I ever set my eyes on.
With all that being said, it was the ending where this book really lost it for me. Even if I am not personally invested in a romance, I can often enjoy this story by itself. This is not the case in Rise of Fire. It is honestly one of the most disappointing finales I have ever read. The final conflict is so rushed it is honestly laughable. It felt like a joke. It took two books to build up a war and it took literally no more than two chapters for it to both occur and conclude. It was so easy and pointless. I still don’t know if I want to laugh or sob at how horrendously Jordan botched the ending. The epilogue was not even redeeming. There was a moment that Fowler kisses Luna to stop her talking so by that point I was so far done I could not longer deal.
Overall?
If you were iffy about the first book, I would honestly not recommend continuing on. I was unsatisfied with the direction that the story took and even more disappointed in how it concluded. The drama and the romance were godawful. It was boring and over-acted. I hated how Luna reacted to the situation and how she seemed to have lost the spunk she had in Reign of Shadows. I do not think her blindness was well represented and as a whole, I had too many problems with this book to enjoy it.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Read
March 17, 2017Loved this conclusion to the series. What an awesome hero and heroine. Sophie Jordan does it again. This is a world I'd hate to live in but that makes it all the more exciting. If you're a zombie fan, check out the monsters in this series!
February 23, 2017
A sharp adventure with smart and daring character and a blissfully romantic love story that pulls the heart string and never let's go!
I savored every word!
I savored every word!
August 17, 2016
I need more!!! I need more of Luna and Fowler! I absolutely LOVED this book!!! Full review to come closer to pub date! Rise of Fire is so full of suspense, action, and swoon worthy romance!!
March 26, 2018
My final rating for Rise of Fire is between a 3- and a 3.5.-stars which means I did like it. This book picks up immediately following the conclusion of Book 1, Reign of Shadows, which left on quite a cliffhanger indeed! Although I did like it, I definitely did not enjoy it as much as the first book. I think some of that had to do with the plot of this story and a bit of it had to do with me picking up on more flaws in the execution of writing a blind main character.
If you are onto this book, most likely you are already aware that our main female character, Luna, has been blind since birth. In Reign of Shadows, they are outside a lot of time, where due to a total eclipse of the sun that has shrouded the earth for the last 17-years they are in perpetual darkness. In this story, they are mainly inside a castle. It is a castle that she has never ever been to before yet she navigates it like she has echolocation capabilities or something. With the first book it was a little easier to forgive some of that because all the characters were pretty much struggling through the dark. Anyway, that aside, I still enjoyed the relationship between our two main characters - their romance was sweet and built up quite a bit in this one. Luna is still a great character in my mind who has had quite an unusual life up to this point.
Another reason I may not have enjoyed this one quite as much was the fact that the action was mainly held within a castle; it was pretty stationary. I had fun with the traveling aspect of the first book. I love a good quest or a road-trip in a book, so that plot was definitely something I enjoy more anyway; however, I understand that that is totally a personal preference and really has nothing to do with this specific book. Overall, I am pleased with this one, loved the ending and am very happy that I have completed this duology. It was dark and pretty fun and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a darker retelling!
If you are onto this book, most likely you are already aware that our main female character, Luna, has been blind since birth. In Reign of Shadows, they are outside a lot of time, where due to a total eclipse of the sun that has shrouded the earth for the last 17-years they are in perpetual darkness. In this story, they are mainly inside a castle. It is a castle that she has never ever been to before yet she navigates it like she has echolocation capabilities or something. With the first book it was a little easier to forgive some of that because all the characters were pretty much struggling through the dark. Anyway, that aside, I still enjoyed the relationship between our two main characters - their romance was sweet and built up quite a bit in this one. Luna is still a great character in my mind who has had quite an unusual life up to this point.
Another reason I may not have enjoyed this one quite as much was the fact that the action was mainly held within a castle; it was pretty stationary. I had fun with the traveling aspect of the first book. I love a good quest or a road-trip in a book, so that plot was definitely something I enjoy more anyway; however, I understand that that is totally a personal preference and really has nothing to do with this specific book. Overall, I am pleased with this one, loved the ending and am very happy that I have completed this duology. It was dark and pretty fun and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a darker retelling!
October 7, 2019
It was damn great! I've no idea how many worries I had while reading but it was great!
September 20, 2019
A quick, easy read, and a fitting sequel. There were a few loose ends that kinda bugged me but overall I enjoyed it. A solid 3 stars.
May 26, 2017
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this book. I really enjoyed the first book, so I was so excited to read this book. Unfortunately, this was a major let down.
The one main thing I liked about this book was that the plot of this book was addictive. Even when his book was annoying me, I still couldn't put it down?
The romance drove me insane. I thought the romance was adorable in the first book. However, a lot of the elements of the romance in this book made me cringe so much. There was forced angst, love triangles, lies, and unnecessary drama. It drove me absolutely insane. I hated it.
Luna and Fowler are still I a couple that I love immensely. I think they are super cute together and I love the story of how they became a couple. They had sweet moments in this book, which made me swoon, but those moments were definitely overshadowed by the annoying things I mentioned above.
The ending of the book was so rushed and unexplained. I felt like I was getting whiplash. Did I like how the book ended? Yes, I was happy with where the characters ended up, but I didn't like the way it was presented.
Overall, I wasn't very impressed with this one.
1 / 5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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The one main thing I liked about this book was that the plot of this book was addictive. Even when his book was annoying me, I still couldn't put it down?
The romance drove me insane. I thought the romance was adorable in the first book. However, a lot of the elements of the romance in this book made me cringe so much. There was forced angst, love triangles, lies, and unnecessary drama. It drove me absolutely insane. I hated it.
Luna and Fowler are still I a couple that I love immensely. I think they are super cute together and I love the story of how they became a couple. They had sweet moments in this book, which made me swoon, but those moments were definitely overshadowed by the annoying things I mentioned above.
The ending of the book was so rushed and unexplained. I felt like I was getting whiplash. Did I like how the book ended? Yes, I was happy with where the characters ended up, but I didn't like the way it was presented.
Overall, I wasn't very impressed with this one.
1 / 5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
August 24, 2020
This second volume was LEAGUES better than the first; filled with court intrigue, exciting twists, stronger characters and MUCH less sloppy kissing! The ending was a bit rushed and shaky but let’s face it, that was all the time we really needed for the story and it had to end one of two ways. I would have preferred a third, but the ending chosen was decidedly acceptable.
February 17, 2017
me ha gustado aunque no le puedo dar mas nota, los protagonistas y la historia me ha gustado pero se centra demasiado en la pareja, hay acción romance y humor, pero le ha faltado desarrollar bien el mundo , ademas el final ha sido muy apresurado, pese a todo lo recomiendo si buscais un libro para entreteneros que se centre en el romance y que sea una lectrua rápida, sin duda me ha gustado.
February 22, 2017
*Source* Publisher via Edelweiss
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
Rise of Fire is the final installment in author Sophie Jordan's Reign of Shadows duology. Rise of Fire picks up right where Reign of Shadows left off. This duology alternates between two characters. 17-year old Luna, the true heir to the crown of Relhok, and 17-year old Fowler, estranged son of Cullan the former chancellor who killed Luna's parents, the King and Queen of Relhok, and named himself King. Luna is by far the most interesting character, and I am not ashamed to say so. She survived the night of a thousand knives thanks to being spirited away by Sivo and Perla.
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
Rise of Fire is the final installment in author Sophie Jordan's Reign of Shadows duology. Rise of Fire picks up right where Reign of Shadows left off. This duology alternates between two characters. 17-year old Luna, the true heir to the crown of Relhok, and 17-year old Fowler, estranged son of Cullan the former chancellor who killed Luna's parents, the King and Queen of Relhok, and named himself King. Luna is by far the most interesting character, and I am not ashamed to say so. She survived the night of a thousand knives thanks to being spirited away by Sivo and Perla.
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
August 26, 2018
this could of been so good, the story has such potential but the first half was utterly boring and the second gave me whiplash with how quickly the story was resolved. Such a big plot element happened right at the end and it could of been explored and executed in greater detail. Very disappointing finale :(
April 12, 2017
Nice conclusion, but a bit of a hasty one.
February 8, 2017
3.5/5 stars
This review will contain spoilers from book 1.
Rise of Fire is the final book in the Reign of Shadows duology. It is a YA fantasy series.
The book alternates narrators between Luna and Fowler. The first book left off with a massive cliffhanger. You must have read Reign of Shadows before reading this book.
For the most part I enjoyed this sequel. There is a lot of book one recapped in the first chapter (which I appreciate).
The basic premise of this series is that 17 years ago Luna's parents (the King and Queen) were murdered. And an eclipse cloaked their kingdom in darkness. There is a small amount of light each day called midlight. Everybody thought Luna was dead.
There are bad creatures called dwellers who hunt them, except during midlight.
At the end of the first book Fowler was taken by the dwellers. And we also learned who Fowler's father was.
Luna is blind. But oddly enough most people cannot tell (which I find extremely odd).
There are two kingdoms that are in play in Rise of Fire. Relhok, which is run by Fowler's tyrant father Cullan (Luna's parents were the King and Queen of this kingdom). And Lagonia, which is run by King Tebald. His two kids are a princess named Maris and a prince named Chasan.
I absolutely loved everything to do with Lagonia and found much of it to be quite interesting.
The book was easy to read and not overly complex.
Luna is the true heir to Relhok and this comes into play.
Even though Luna and Fowler are the main romance there is almost a double love triangle with other love interests for each of them.
I was very curious to see how the story would end. Towards the end there was still no resolution. There were very few chapters left and I did not really see how things would be able to wrap up sufficiently for a series ender.
I think the end was a bit rushed and I'm not sure that I totally believe that Luna would do what she did. But overall, it was a good ending.
Thanks to edelweiss and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book.
This review will contain spoilers from book 1.
Rise of Fire is the final book in the Reign of Shadows duology. It is a YA fantasy series.
The book alternates narrators between Luna and Fowler. The first book left off with a massive cliffhanger. You must have read Reign of Shadows before reading this book.
For the most part I enjoyed this sequel. There is a lot of book one recapped in the first chapter (which I appreciate).
The basic premise of this series is that 17 years ago Luna's parents (the King and Queen) were murdered. And an eclipse cloaked their kingdom in darkness. There is a small amount of light each day called midlight. Everybody thought Luna was dead.
There are bad creatures called dwellers who hunt them, except during midlight.
At the end of the first book Fowler was taken by the dwellers. And we also learned who Fowler's father was.
Luna is blind. But oddly enough most people cannot tell (which I find extremely odd).
There are two kingdoms that are in play in Rise of Fire. Relhok, which is run by Fowler's tyrant father Cullan (Luna's parents were the King and Queen of this kingdom). And Lagonia, which is run by King Tebald. His two kids are a princess named Maris and a prince named Chasan.
I absolutely loved everything to do with Lagonia and found much of it to be quite interesting.
The book was easy to read and not overly complex.
Luna is the true heir to Relhok and this comes into play.
Even though Luna and Fowler are the main romance there is almost a double love triangle with other love interests for each of them.
I was very curious to see how the story would end. Towards the end there was still no resolution. There were very few chapters left and I did not really see how things would be able to wrap up sufficiently for a series ender.
I think the end was a bit rushed and I'm not sure that I totally believe that Luna would do what she did. But overall, it was a good ending.
Thanks to edelweiss and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book.
February 6, 2018
ACHTUNG ! DA ES SICH UM DEN ZWEITEN UND FINALEN BAND EINER REIHE HANDELT, KÖNNTE DIESE REZENSION MÖGLICHE SPOILER ENTHALTEN !
Was habe ich mich auf diesen zweiten Band aus der Feder der wunderbaren Sophie Jordan gefreut. Ein Jahr habe ich dem Finale um Luna und Fowler nun entgegen gefiebert und das obwohl mein erster Eindruck vom ersten Band leider nur sehr mittelmäßig war. Doch diese Geschichte wirkt nach. Sie braucht zwar ein bisschen, bis sie in Gang kommt, doch dann lässt sie einen nicht mehr los und je länger ich damals über das Buch nachgedacht habe, desto besser fand ich es.
Und genau deshalb habe ich mich also unglaublich auf diese lang ersehnte Fortsetzung gefreut, die mich direkt und ohne Wiederholung der Geschehnisse aus Band 1 in die Geschichte zurückwirft.
Als sich Fowler "opfert" damit Luna überleben und ihren Weg nach Relhok fortsetzen kann, da fasst sie den Entschluss, das sie keinesfalls ohne ihn geht. Auch nicht, obwohl er ihr offenbart hat, wer er wirklich ist. Sie folgt ihm unter die Erde ins Reich der Finsterirdischen.
Bei ihrer Flucht wird Fowler schwer verletzt. Und auch Luna ist am Ende ihrer Kräfte und besorgt das Fowler es vielleicht nicht schafft gesund zu werden.
Als sie von einem kleinen Soldatentrupp des Königs von Lagonia gefunden werden, da wittert Luna ihre Chance auf Rettung. Nicht nur für sich, sondern für alle Mädchen Relhoks. Doch dafür muss sie den König unbedingt als ihren Verbündeten gewinnen. Der jedoch hat ganz eigene Pläne. Erst Recht als er entdeckt, wer Luna wirklich ist...
Sophie Jordan hatte mich hier ziemlich schnell wieder in ihrem Bann, weil die Geschichte unglaublich spannend beginnt und dann eine völlig neue und für mich unvorhergesehene Richtung einschlägt. Luna erhofft sich Rettung und findet sich plötzlich in einem, vom König, ausgeklügelten Spiel aus Macht und Intrigenschmiederei wieder, das durch die Tatsache, das sie ihre eigenen Geheimnisse hüten muss, nicht leichter wird.
Diese Entwicklung fand ich interessant, faszinierend und auch ein wenig dramatisch, was mir gut gefallen hat. Es fügt sich nichts so einfach zusammen wie man es vielleicht erwartet.
Das klingt alles recht positiv, aber ich muss Euch leider enttäuschen, denn ganz so perfekt war es am Ende dann leider doch nicht und ich hätte mir einiges anders gewünscht.
Die neu eingeführten Charaktere zum Beispiel haben mir nur bedingt gefallen und auch die Entwicklung von Fowler und Luna waren eher so naja. Besonders gefehlt hat mir das Gefühl zwischen den beiden. Mir schien es das sie nur handeln weil sie müssen und nicht weil da dieses tiefe Band zwischen ihnen besteht.
Der größte Kritikpunkt allerdings war das Ende.
Schon während ich noch am Lesen war, habe ich mich nämlich gefragt, ob es wohl noch einen weiteren Teil geben wird, denn die letzten 30-40 Seiten nahten und mir war nicht klar, wie die Autorin die Geschichte in einem so kurzen Raum noch vernünftig auflösen will. Und genau damit hat sie mich dann auch enttäuscht. Sie löst nämlich tatsächlich alles auf, allerdings kommt das Ganze so überhastet und so "einfach" und auch ein wenig verwirrend, das ich das Gefühl hatte, sie hätte schnell ein Ende finden müssen statt vielleicht ein wenig mehr in die Tiefe zu gehen und die Story dann in einem dritten Band, für den sicherlich genug Stoff da gewesen wäre, enden zu lassen.
Das fand ich superschade, denn es hat der eigentlich tollen Geschichte einen bitteren Beigeschmack verpasst und ich bin ehrlich ein bisschen geknickt, wie die Reihe ausgeht.
Deshalb gibts von mir leider auch nur 3 von 5 Cupcakes.
Was habe ich mich auf diesen zweiten Band aus der Feder der wunderbaren Sophie Jordan gefreut. Ein Jahr habe ich dem Finale um Luna und Fowler nun entgegen gefiebert und das obwohl mein erster Eindruck vom ersten Band leider nur sehr mittelmäßig war. Doch diese Geschichte wirkt nach. Sie braucht zwar ein bisschen, bis sie in Gang kommt, doch dann lässt sie einen nicht mehr los und je länger ich damals über das Buch nachgedacht habe, desto besser fand ich es.
Und genau deshalb habe ich mich also unglaublich auf diese lang ersehnte Fortsetzung gefreut, die mich direkt und ohne Wiederholung der Geschehnisse aus Band 1 in die Geschichte zurückwirft.
Als sich Fowler "opfert" damit Luna überleben und ihren Weg nach Relhok fortsetzen kann, da fasst sie den Entschluss, das sie keinesfalls ohne ihn geht. Auch nicht, obwohl er ihr offenbart hat, wer er wirklich ist. Sie folgt ihm unter die Erde ins Reich der Finsterirdischen.
Bei ihrer Flucht wird Fowler schwer verletzt. Und auch Luna ist am Ende ihrer Kräfte und besorgt das Fowler es vielleicht nicht schafft gesund zu werden.
Als sie von einem kleinen Soldatentrupp des Königs von Lagonia gefunden werden, da wittert Luna ihre Chance auf Rettung. Nicht nur für sich, sondern für alle Mädchen Relhoks. Doch dafür muss sie den König unbedingt als ihren Verbündeten gewinnen. Der jedoch hat ganz eigene Pläne. Erst Recht als er entdeckt, wer Luna wirklich ist...
Sophie Jordan hatte mich hier ziemlich schnell wieder in ihrem Bann, weil die Geschichte unglaublich spannend beginnt und dann eine völlig neue und für mich unvorhergesehene Richtung einschlägt. Luna erhofft sich Rettung und findet sich plötzlich in einem, vom König, ausgeklügelten Spiel aus Macht und Intrigenschmiederei wieder, das durch die Tatsache, das sie ihre eigenen Geheimnisse hüten muss, nicht leichter wird.
Diese Entwicklung fand ich interessant, faszinierend und auch ein wenig dramatisch, was mir gut gefallen hat. Es fügt sich nichts so einfach zusammen wie man es vielleicht erwartet.
Das klingt alles recht positiv, aber ich muss Euch leider enttäuschen, denn ganz so perfekt war es am Ende dann leider doch nicht und ich hätte mir einiges anders gewünscht.
Die neu eingeführten Charaktere zum Beispiel haben mir nur bedingt gefallen und auch die Entwicklung von Fowler und Luna waren eher so naja. Besonders gefehlt hat mir das Gefühl zwischen den beiden. Mir schien es das sie nur handeln weil sie müssen und nicht weil da dieses tiefe Band zwischen ihnen besteht.
Der größte Kritikpunkt allerdings war das Ende.
Schon während ich noch am Lesen war, habe ich mich nämlich gefragt, ob es wohl noch einen weiteren Teil geben wird, denn die letzten 30-40 Seiten nahten und mir war nicht klar, wie die Autorin die Geschichte in einem so kurzen Raum noch vernünftig auflösen will. Und genau damit hat sie mich dann auch enttäuscht. Sie löst nämlich tatsächlich alles auf, allerdings kommt das Ganze so überhastet und so "einfach" und auch ein wenig verwirrend, das ich das Gefühl hatte, sie hätte schnell ein Ende finden müssen statt vielleicht ein wenig mehr in die Tiefe zu gehen und die Story dann in einem dritten Band, für den sicherlich genug Stoff da gewesen wäre, enden zu lassen.
Das fand ich superschade, denn es hat der eigentlich tollen Geschichte einen bitteren Beigeschmack verpasst und ich bin ehrlich ein bisschen geknickt, wie die Reihe ausgeht.
Deshalb gibts von mir leider auch nur 3 von 5 Cupcakes.
February 7, 2017
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I have a serious case of the mixed feelings here, friends. I really liked Reign of Shadows. Found it interesting. Wanted to see where the story went, since it ended on quite the cliffhanger. So yeah, I was excited to dive back in!
But things... they didn't go as I had hoped? Okay. Look. It wasn't all bad. So let's start with the things I liked!
I did get more Fowler and Luna, yay! I shipped them so much in the first book, so I was happy that there is more shipping to be had.
It's quite a fast read. I was done in no time, and it was really readable- I wanted to get to the end to know what happened. So for sheer entertainment value, it gets points from me.
There were... problems though. Things like...
The dialogue felt a mess. It was... stunted, if that makes sense. Robotic, perhaps. And Fowler kept talking about Luna's "taste", and I started to get pretty freaked out. Once, twice, even three times, I could handle. But dude was talking about "tasting her" every three seconds. And like, they were disgusting- had been fighting for their lives and stuff? She even talked about being covered in slime and such. So this was not an appealing visual. At all.
And for just so long, they both kept saying the same thing over. And over. And over. Like, okay, I got it the first forty-seven times you declared that emotion. It was exhausting.
A lot of the things that happened were quite predictable throughout the book. Especially once it got going, and you could see where the plot was headed.
The ending was such an anticlimactic, out of left field disaster. Look, I didn't even dislike it, per se. But it was... random. And incredibly easy. Too easy. And if we had taken like, 1/100th of the time that Fowler spent "tasting" Luna on a better ending... well I think it could have been much more believable and reasonable.
Bottom Line: This is hard, because it really was not the best sequel. And if I were being wholly objective, it is probably a disaster. However, I tend to rate with my heart, as we know, and I did find enjoyability in it. So it wasn't all bad. Just... mostly.
*Copy provided for review
I have a serious case of the mixed feelings here, friends. I really liked Reign of Shadows. Found it interesting. Wanted to see where the story went, since it ended on quite the cliffhanger. So yeah, I was excited to dive back in!
But things... they didn't go as I had hoped? Okay. Look. It wasn't all bad. So let's start with the things I liked!
I did get more Fowler and Luna, yay! I shipped them so much in the first book, so I was happy that there is more shipping to be had.
It's quite a fast read. I was done in no time, and it was really readable- I wanted to get to the end to know what happened. So for sheer entertainment value, it gets points from me.
There were... problems though. Things like...
The dialogue felt a mess. It was... stunted, if that makes sense. Robotic, perhaps. And Fowler kept talking about Luna's "taste", and I started to get pretty freaked out. Once, twice, even three times, I could handle. But dude was talking about "tasting her" every three seconds. And like, they were disgusting- had been fighting for their lives and stuff? She even talked about being covered in slime and such. So this was not an appealing visual. At all.
And for just so long, they both kept saying the same thing over. And over. And over. Like, okay, I got it the first forty-seven times you declared that emotion. It was exhausting.
A lot of the things that happened were quite predictable throughout the book. Especially once it got going, and you could see where the plot was headed.
The ending was such an anticlimactic, out of left field disaster. Look, I didn't even dislike it, per se. But it was... random. And incredibly easy. Too easy. And if we had taken like, 1/100th of the time that Fowler spent "tasting" Luna on a better ending... well I think it could have been much more believable and reasonable.
Bottom Line: This is hard, because it really was not the best sequel. And if I were being wholly objective, it is probably a disaster. However, I tend to rate with my heart, as we know, and I did find enjoyability in it. So it wasn't all bad. Just... mostly.
*Copy provided for review
February 25, 2017
Meh.
Despues del final del primer libro me esperaba más acción y lucha entre los reinos.
Lo que recibimos es Luna aún con sus ideales imposibles, peleas infantiles entre ellos, los protagonistas atascados en un castillo con un rey cruel, un final apresurado y sacado de la manga.
En general meh :-\
Despues del final del primer libro me esperaba más acción y lucha entre los reinos.
Lo que recibimos es Luna aún con sus ideales imposibles, peleas infantiles entre ellos, los protagonistas atascados en un castillo con un rey cruel, un final apresurado y sacado de la manga.
En general meh :-\
February 26, 2017
Really glad I didn't give up on Sophie Jordan, this series was pretty good. It was really entertaining to read. Looking forward to more books by her.
February 12, 2018
Mehr auf: http://xobooksheaven.wordpress.com/
Inhalt:
Seit Jahren herrscht Finsternis über dem Königreich Relhok. Doch Luna, die wahre Königin des Reiches, ist es mithilfe des Waldläufers Fowler gelungen, aus Relhok zu fliehen. Der Mörder ihrer Eltern droht, auch sie zu töten. Auf der Flucht wird ihr Verbündeter lebensgefährlich verletzt. Nur die fremden Soldaten des Königs Lagonia können ihnen helfen. Doch kann sie ihnen vertrauen? Um endlich der Dunkelheit zu entkommen und ihre Feinde zu besiegen, müssen sich Luna und Fowler ihrer Bestimmung stellen.
Quelle: harpercollins.de
Meinung:
"Dies war Dunkelheit."
Das Cover passt perfekt zum ersten Band und auch die Farbwahl, hier Gelb, finde ich gelungen. Zu sehen ist eine Blume mit einem Dolch in der Mitte, dies hat sicher eine Bedeutung, die sich mir allerdings nicht erschließt. Trotzdem finde ich die Gestaltung schön und auch nicht zu aufdringlich, es verrät nichts vom Inhalt und macht einem trotzdem Lust aufs lesen.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist, wie auch schon im ersten Band, sehr angenehm zu lesen und durch die vielen Beschreibungen kann man sich alles auch gut vorstellen. Ich finde es immer toll, wie Jordan die Kapitel aus Sicht von Luna schreibt, da hier alle Eindrücke, bis auf das visuelle, dargebracht werden und es interessant ist, sowas zu lesen. Die Kapitel sind wieder entweder aus Sicht von Luna oder Fowler geschrieben, dadurch kann man die Geschichte von beiden verfolgen und erfährt noch einige interessante Dinge, die man nur aus einer Sicht nicht erfahren hätte.
Der zweite Band schließt sofort an den ersten an und nach dem fiesen Cliffhanger geht es spannend weiter. Luna ist Fowler in das Reich der Finsterirdischen nachgetaucht und versucht ihn zu retten. Nach ihrer Flucht werden sie von Wachen aus Lagonia aufgegabelt und ins Schloss gebracht. Dort wirkt es sicher, bis sie einige Geheimnisse aufdecken.
Ich habe mich sehr auf den zweiten Band gefreut, da der erste einen wirklich fiesen Cliffhanger hatte. Als ich dann bei der Leserunde auf Lovelybooks gewonnen habe, bin ich richtig ausgeflippt. Das Buch geht ziemlich schnell zu lesen, daher war ich mit diesen knapp 360 Seiten auch rasch fertig. Der Einstieg fiel mir sehr leicht, obwohl es nun schon lange her ist, dass ich den ersten Band gelesen habe. Ich wusste noch sehr viel und habe mich augenblicklich in der Welt wieder zurecht gefunden.
Luna ist Fowler in das Reich der Finsterirdischen gefolgt und versucht ihn nun zu finden. Ich habe mir das gruselig vorgestellt, denn Luna sieht nichts und ist in der Welt der Finsterirdischen. Mit diesem Einstieg begann das Buch schon spannend und ich habe richtig mit Luna mitgefiebert, ob sie es nun schaffen wird oder nicht und was sie noch alles da unten erlebt. Leider war dieser Abschnitt relativ schnell vorbei, da sie Fowler gefunden hat und sie einfach wieder aufgetaucht sind. Die Gefangenschaft ging aber nicht spurlos an Fowler vorbei, so hat er das Gift der Finsterirdischen auf seinem Arm und ist schon näher beim Tod als beim Leben.
So ziehen sie also wieder durchs Land, bis sie auf Soldaten von Lagonia treffen, die Luna versprechen Fowler zu helfen. Ich mochte diese Kerle sofort, sie wirkten nicht falsch oder gestellt, sondern aufrichtig nett, was man in einer solchen Welt eher selten findet. Ab da fand dann so ziemlich alles in Lagonia und dem Schloss statt. Ziemlich bald lernt man auch den König und den Prinzen, Chasan, kennen, welche beide zuerst sehr unsympathisch wirken. Fowler und Luna sind natürlich darauf bedacht, dass niemand merkt, wer sie wirklich sind.
Mit der Zeit hat sich Chasan dann zu einem meiner Lieblinge gemausert, auch wenn er zuerst immer unfreundlich und egoistisch ist. Vor allem bei den Szenen mit Luna, oder wenn er mit seinem Vater redet, sieht man seinen wahren Charakter hervorblitzen, daher kann ich sagen, dass er von den neuen Charakteren sicherlich der spannendste ist. Doch auch Luna und Fowler haben mir wieder gut gefallen. Fowler eher weniger als Luna, da er oft den eifersüchtigen Bock spielt, aber Luna hat sich wieder als starke und mutige Frau entpuppt, die keinen Mann und kein Augenlicht braucht, um in dieser Welt bestehen zu können.
Inhaltlich tut sich nicht viel in dem Buch, die Finsteridischen rücken in den Hintergrund, Intrigen und Geheimnisse des königlichen Hofes in den Vordergrund. Und die Liebesgeschichte. Zwischenzeitlich haben sich einige in der Leserunde Sorgen gemacht, dass es ein Liebesviereck wird, doch zum Glück wurde es das nicht und auch kein Liebesdreieck, obwohl es manchmal den Anschein erweckt hat. Wie schon gesagt, gibt es in diesem Schloss für Luna und Fowler viel zu entdecken, wobei Letzterer die meiste Zeit im Bett verbringt, da er ja noch das Gift auf seinem Arm hat. Es war von Anfang an klar, dass der König nicht ganz koscher ist, und das hat sich mit der Zeit immer mehr bewahrheitet, allerdings gab es immer wieder Überraschungen, die ich so nicht vorhersehen konnte.
Das Ende hat mich dann nicht so umgehauen, es war ganz schön und der Epilog hat mir eine Gänsehaut beschert, doch es ging sehr plötzlich und es gab keine großen Erklärungen, was mir ein paar Fragezeichen im Kopf bereitet hat. Warum? Warum hat es so funktioniert? Spoiler: Warum hat Luna einfach die Königin der Finsterirdischen töten müssen, um selbst zur Königin zu werden und warum gab es überhaupt eine solche? Wo kam die her? Wer war sie? Warum hat sie sich nicht mehr gewehrt? Warum lässt Luna die Finsterirdischen sich nicht gegenseitig töten? Ich verstehe einige Dinge einfach nicht und das hat mich etwas unbefriedigt zurück gelassen. Der Rest des Buches hat mir allerdings gefallen und hätte man das Ende besser ausgeschmückt oder etwas länger geschrieben, wären sich sogar 5 Sterne ausgegangen. So hat es leider nicht ganz gereicht.
Fazit:
Trotz dass das Buch sich inhaltlich sehr vom ersten Band unterscheidet und sich die hauptsächliche Handlung in dem Schloss abspielt, hat es mir dennoch sehr gut gefallen. Ich finde, dass es ein guter Abschluss der Reihe war und daher vergebe ich 4 von 5 Sterne.
Inhalt:
Seit Jahren herrscht Finsternis über dem Königreich Relhok. Doch Luna, die wahre Königin des Reiches, ist es mithilfe des Waldläufers Fowler gelungen, aus Relhok zu fliehen. Der Mörder ihrer Eltern droht, auch sie zu töten. Auf der Flucht wird ihr Verbündeter lebensgefährlich verletzt. Nur die fremden Soldaten des Königs Lagonia können ihnen helfen. Doch kann sie ihnen vertrauen? Um endlich der Dunkelheit zu entkommen und ihre Feinde zu besiegen, müssen sich Luna und Fowler ihrer Bestimmung stellen.
Quelle: harpercollins.de
Meinung:
"Dies war Dunkelheit."
Das Cover passt perfekt zum ersten Band und auch die Farbwahl, hier Gelb, finde ich gelungen. Zu sehen ist eine Blume mit einem Dolch in der Mitte, dies hat sicher eine Bedeutung, die sich mir allerdings nicht erschließt. Trotzdem finde ich die Gestaltung schön und auch nicht zu aufdringlich, es verrät nichts vom Inhalt und macht einem trotzdem Lust aufs lesen.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist, wie auch schon im ersten Band, sehr angenehm zu lesen und durch die vielen Beschreibungen kann man sich alles auch gut vorstellen. Ich finde es immer toll, wie Jordan die Kapitel aus Sicht von Luna schreibt, da hier alle Eindrücke, bis auf das visuelle, dargebracht werden und es interessant ist, sowas zu lesen. Die Kapitel sind wieder entweder aus Sicht von Luna oder Fowler geschrieben, dadurch kann man die Geschichte von beiden verfolgen und erfährt noch einige interessante Dinge, die man nur aus einer Sicht nicht erfahren hätte.
Der zweite Band schließt sofort an den ersten an und nach dem fiesen Cliffhanger geht es spannend weiter. Luna ist Fowler in das Reich der Finsterirdischen nachgetaucht und versucht ihn zu retten. Nach ihrer Flucht werden sie von Wachen aus Lagonia aufgegabelt und ins Schloss gebracht. Dort wirkt es sicher, bis sie einige Geheimnisse aufdecken.
Ich habe mich sehr auf den zweiten Band gefreut, da der erste einen wirklich fiesen Cliffhanger hatte. Als ich dann bei der Leserunde auf Lovelybooks gewonnen habe, bin ich richtig ausgeflippt. Das Buch geht ziemlich schnell zu lesen, daher war ich mit diesen knapp 360 Seiten auch rasch fertig. Der Einstieg fiel mir sehr leicht, obwohl es nun schon lange her ist, dass ich den ersten Band gelesen habe. Ich wusste noch sehr viel und habe mich augenblicklich in der Welt wieder zurecht gefunden.
Luna ist Fowler in das Reich der Finsterirdischen gefolgt und versucht ihn nun zu finden. Ich habe mir das gruselig vorgestellt, denn Luna sieht nichts und ist in der Welt der Finsterirdischen. Mit diesem Einstieg begann das Buch schon spannend und ich habe richtig mit Luna mitgefiebert, ob sie es nun schaffen wird oder nicht und was sie noch alles da unten erlebt. Leider war dieser Abschnitt relativ schnell vorbei, da sie Fowler gefunden hat und sie einfach wieder aufgetaucht sind. Die Gefangenschaft ging aber nicht spurlos an Fowler vorbei, so hat er das Gift der Finsterirdischen auf seinem Arm und ist schon näher beim Tod als beim Leben.
So ziehen sie also wieder durchs Land, bis sie auf Soldaten von Lagonia treffen, die Luna versprechen Fowler zu helfen. Ich mochte diese Kerle sofort, sie wirkten nicht falsch oder gestellt, sondern aufrichtig nett, was man in einer solchen Welt eher selten findet. Ab da fand dann so ziemlich alles in Lagonia und dem Schloss statt. Ziemlich bald lernt man auch den König und den Prinzen, Chasan, kennen, welche beide zuerst sehr unsympathisch wirken. Fowler und Luna sind natürlich darauf bedacht, dass niemand merkt, wer sie wirklich sind.
Mit der Zeit hat sich Chasan dann zu einem meiner Lieblinge gemausert, auch wenn er zuerst immer unfreundlich und egoistisch ist. Vor allem bei den Szenen mit Luna, oder wenn er mit seinem Vater redet, sieht man seinen wahren Charakter hervorblitzen, daher kann ich sagen, dass er von den neuen Charakteren sicherlich der spannendste ist. Doch auch Luna und Fowler haben mir wieder gut gefallen. Fowler eher weniger als Luna, da er oft den eifersüchtigen Bock spielt, aber Luna hat sich wieder als starke und mutige Frau entpuppt, die keinen Mann und kein Augenlicht braucht, um in dieser Welt bestehen zu können.
Inhaltlich tut sich nicht viel in dem Buch, die Finsteridischen rücken in den Hintergrund, Intrigen und Geheimnisse des königlichen Hofes in den Vordergrund. Und die Liebesgeschichte. Zwischenzeitlich haben sich einige in der Leserunde Sorgen gemacht, dass es ein Liebesviereck wird, doch zum Glück wurde es das nicht und auch kein Liebesdreieck, obwohl es manchmal den Anschein erweckt hat. Wie schon gesagt, gibt es in diesem Schloss für Luna und Fowler viel zu entdecken, wobei Letzterer die meiste Zeit im Bett verbringt, da er ja noch das Gift auf seinem Arm hat. Es war von Anfang an klar, dass der König nicht ganz koscher ist, und das hat sich mit der Zeit immer mehr bewahrheitet, allerdings gab es immer wieder Überraschungen, die ich so nicht vorhersehen konnte.
Das Ende hat mich dann nicht so umgehauen, es war ganz schön und der Epilog hat mir eine Gänsehaut beschert, doch es ging sehr plötzlich und es gab keine großen Erklärungen, was mir ein paar Fragezeichen im Kopf bereitet hat. Warum? Warum hat es so funktioniert? Spoiler: Warum hat Luna einfach die Königin der Finsterirdischen töten müssen, um selbst zur Königin zu werden und warum gab es überhaupt eine solche? Wo kam die her? Wer war sie? Warum hat sie sich nicht mehr gewehrt? Warum lässt Luna die Finsterirdischen sich nicht gegenseitig töten? Ich verstehe einige Dinge einfach nicht und das hat mich etwas unbefriedigt zurück gelassen. Der Rest des Buches hat mir allerdings gefallen und hätte man das Ende besser ausgeschmückt oder etwas länger geschrieben, wären sich sogar 5 Sterne ausgegangen. So hat es leider nicht ganz gereicht.
Fazit:
Trotz dass das Buch sich inhaltlich sehr vom ersten Band unterscheidet und sich die hauptsächliche Handlung in dem Schloss abspielt, hat es mir dennoch sehr gut gefallen. Ich finde, dass es ein guter Abschluss der Reihe war und daher vergebe ich 4 von 5 Sterne.
February 10, 2017
Review to come!
January 13, 2018
This was a really good end to a really good duology that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time it never stopped for very long it was very fast paced. I really like the characters the main along with others like Chasan he started out kind of bad but then he got better so in the end I liked him. As for Luna and Fowler I loved their love story it was so heart felt I ship them so very much one of my new favorite romances in YA. I loved the story it started out with a bang right where it left off I loved thier journey to save Luna's kingdom and how everything tied together by the end that ending was so perfect. So overall I really loved this book I will look for more books by this author the writing was so good I want more.
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