I don't think I've said any outright spoilers, but don't read this if you haven't read the first book (The Kiss of Deception) as I don't want to upset or spoil it for anyone with my half review/half discussion. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED :D
Review:
It's taken me a while to compile my feelings on this book and I didn't want to just come on here and splurge out all my thoughts immediately after reading.
This book, like the first, was a roller coaster ride of feelings and I never really could guess what was going to happen, which I really enjoyed. For me, the book continued from the excitement of where the first left off before dying down slightly in the middle before ending with a bang- and I mean a massive bang! I sat up on my knees and couldn't read fast enough! Although I really loved it, there was just that little bit of spark missing which I felt throughout the first book. It came back right at the end and I realised how much I did really love where the series was going but I was a little disappointed with the middle section of the book. I did like the new environment that Lia and Raffe were in as it was like balancing on a knifes edge and kept me tense, but I also became a little disconnected with the characters at this stage as I never really knew what any of them wanted (apart from Raffe I guess). You really saw the intellectual strength of the characters shine through at this point, where the political manipulation and their cunningness was what was keeping them alive at this stage of the book.
I was a constant supporter of a particular 'ship' throughout the first book and continued that feeling through the second. But. And here's the but. I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES. And unfortunately that was the aspect that confused me completely. No matter how well they are done, they always seem to annoy me in books. Maybe because it makes me conflicted? I'm not sure. Lia makes it fairly obvious who she truly loves but I still got slightly confused with her caring nature towards the other character. This might just be in Lia's personality though, as even though she has been brought up hating the Vendans, even when she is a prisoner within their city she sympathises with their struggles and starts to embrace their culture and make friends. Either this or she was being manipulative (towards Kaden) to stay alive (understandable). But to be honest, he's revealed to not be all what he seems also, with some background information about him given.
The underlying religious/spiritual/magical/prophecy/wehavenoideawhatitisyet was developed further in little teaser snippets here and there, with sections of religious texts spotted throughout the book, which started to come together and make some sense. Although we're far from understanding it completely, it made me even more intrigued about whats going to happen in the future. One thing about Mary E Pearson's writing is that it really keeps me page turning - I always finished her books much quicker than I thought I would, so they have obviously kept me captivated enough! When I first read this book I thought that I would rate it 4 stars - but looking back at all the development that was done and how just enough was revealed to keep you enticed I've raised this to a 4.5 stars and I'm super excited for the next book. I think when I reread the book I will have a little more appreciation of the smaller less action packed sections of the book and will see the bigger role that they play in the series as a whole.
All in all I thoroughly recommend this series! If you've been thinking about the first book for a while, stop hanging about and do it and try not to let the hype sway your experience, because they really are great :)
Happy Reading!
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