Publication: August 30th 2016 by Razorbill
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary: Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.
Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.
But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.
Goodreads Page
*Find my review for the first book here!*
My Thoughts:
I definitely liked this book better than the first one. It may partially be because I am much more into fantasy now than I was when reading An Ember in the Ashes. I understand it more and enjoy it much more than before. But I also think this book was just better in general.
I liked the plot. And I hated it. I hated that such a terrible event happens in the very beginning which casts a darker tone on the story instantly. But I liked that it was such a brilliant twist that you're left reading and dreading the end of the book to see if your favorite character will find a way out. The plot was packed full of drama which brought a much more enjoyable level to it than the first one but at the same time I felt a bit bored in the beginning and the middle of it. Not bored enough to stop reading it but bored enough that I had to push myself to get to the more interesting parts I knew were to come. The many twists that came through in the end though were definitely worth the wait and I loved trying to figure out exactly what all of the characters' hidden agendas and motivations were. The ending. Oh, the ending ripped a piece of my heart out. I felt like someone was yanking me to the end of the book while I was fighting against them the entire time, hoping that my characters would not end up where I'd anticipated.
I loved Elias in this one even more than the first one. I loved being able to see him become more comfortable with who he really is and I loved seeing him interact with the new characters introduced, particularly Tas. Elias definitely had a strong character development within the pages and he truly made the book for me as he did in the first one. Laia surprisingly did not get on my nerves as she did in the first book. I liked seeing her become more confident and seeing her settle more into herself. Helene. Sadly I have to say that the love I had for her in the first book did not carry on to the sequel. She was still an interesting character but I found myself lagging through her chapters and wishing to get back to Laia. There are definitely some very intriguing events that Helene is witness to and brings about herself but I still found myself a bit bored reading from her perspective. Overall, I loved seeing the character development and how organic it unfolded. Even though I may have hated some of their decisions and what their consequences were, it felt truly genuine and realistic. I also really enjoyed the new character of Harper that is introduced and cannot wait to see where the next book takes him after his secret is revealed.
Lastly, I still don't know how the masks work and it drives me crazy!! I'd finally just forced myself to think of them as a silver skin on their faces but then Helene tucks Elias's mask IN HER POCKET. Either her pocket is inexplicably large OR the masks are smaller than they are said to be in the first book of "forehead to chin." Still so confused about them. And I'm still a bit confused about the Illustrians/Martials. If you've read my review for the first book, you'll know I struggled a bit with how many different races were in this world. As far as I can figure out, Illustrians are their race and Martials are their employment. Someone help me out!
Likes: Elias. Laia. The Nightbringer storyline went in a much more intriguing and darker way than I anticipated. So. many. amazing. twists. Shaeva.
Dislikes: The mask thing still doesn't make sense to me. There's also little to no recaps on what happened in the first book so it was difficult for me to catch on to everything again considering that I read the first one over a year ago now.
Overall:
Recommend? Yes!
Reading the Next One? Yes!
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