5⭐️ I loved Liars and Light, the three main characters were so incredibly endearing in such different ways and the banter between them kept me giggling through the tension of their journey. It was the perfect book to start a series therefore I knew that book 2, Rise and Reverence, would kick off a more complicated storyline for my new friends.
Rise and Reverence was everything I craved in the second book in Valmenessia but not in the way I imagined…
In Book 1, I adored the banter between Nora and August, life-long friends who were more like brother and sister. I loved the cheeky, almost aggressive banter between Nora and Sage. The sweet, instant connection between August and Evelyn and the way their conversations took us to a really vulnerable exploration of each character. Early on in Rise and Reverence my character friends were separated and all these beautiful conversations and shared experiences were gone!
My initial sadness on losing my character group was immediately replaced with pure joy as each of these three characters took a deep dive into self discovery. It was so wonderful to watch them find themselves, to connect with others, to be vulnerable and rise from it.
The storyline flowed on beautifully from Liars and Light while also full of plot twists, some I hoped were coming, some I was so blissfully unaware were coming and others which left me gasping. I am absolutely not going to elaborate and spoil anything… but as someone who despises a predictable storyline and enjoys a nice balance of tricky and traumatic character experiences with happy outcomes, Rise and Reverence gave me what I needed.
Perhaps my favourite element of this amazing book was Nora’s character arc where her personal growth was divinely written, Nora remained brash, almost aggressive, passionate and committed but we see her embrace these qualities from a different angle and watch her realise the gift of love, friendship and serving the greater good. Everyone needs a Nora in their life!
I was so gratefully gifted this book as an ARC from the author who required nothing in return, but she does have my wrath at that cliffhanger… it was intense and I need book 3 NOW!!!