This book is a continuation of the story told in A Curse so Dark and Lonely (an enthralling retelling of Beauty and the Beast). I loved this second book even more than the first one!
In this book, we follow Grey as he deals with the fallout of the information he learned at the end of book 1. NO SPOILERS HERE!!
I received a copy from Netgalley.
I’m a black sheep with this one. All the bloggers I follow and Goodreads reviewers seem to absolutely love this book. I’ve read the author before and I have loved everything I’ve read by her, but I didn’t love this one. I did get a Netgalley kindle copy I tried reading before the book came out, but the formatting was terrible so I decided to wait until I got a physical copy.
It was book of the month in one of my Fairyloot subscription boxes so I got a nice shiny hardback. I sort of waited until the hype died down a bit, but then the sequel came out – which I did get (another Fairyloot exclusive) just in case I loved the first and had to have the second one.
And turned out I was just sort of meh about the whole thing really. It was an interesting parallel for the Beauty and the Beast retelling, but frankly, the beast character Prince Rhen irritated the hell out of me. I found him completely unsympathetic, annoying, selfish and whiny. I did however, really like the female character Harper. She was what made the book come alive for me. She was strong, sassy, level headed, and smart. Not blown over by the opulence of the fantasy world she suddenly finds herself thrust into. The other character I really liked was Rhen’s loyal guard, Grey who was much more likeable – a bit of a stick in the mud at times, but with a sense of honour and loyalty. I was routing for him and Harper to hook up – they had a love/hate relationship turned into friendship and mutual respect.
However, given it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it’s obvious where the romance was going to happen. I found the plot predictable, and tedious at times, for long stretches nothing seemed to happen other than Rhen whining about his curse and Harper trying to figure out how to escape and get back to her home, the normal human world. They would dance around just forming a connection and something would happen sending them back to square one of distrust and frustration. I found it repetitive and annoying.
Two thirds of the novel was prepping for one huge battle when the beast finally appeared. And when it did it was almost like everything happened in a rush. Which of course ended on a cliff hanger. There were a few twists hinted at throughout (and again, completely predictable) If I hadn’t already bought the second book before I read this one I wouldn’t have bothered, but as I have and quite liked Grey’s character, I’m curious to see where his story goes.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for approving my request to view the title.
Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers. Win the crown, save the kingdom. Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall? The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
I loved this book!!! I even loved it more than the first book. If you read my review to book one you know that Grey was always my front runner and I liked him more than Rhen. So that alone was great but for the book to be so fucking epic was even better. It had me swooning and crying, happy, and sad tears. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. Like last book we get a lot of twist and turns and surprises which I enjoyed. But I think what I enjoyed the most, besides Grey was, that we get the world expanded. We learn so much more about Emberfall and neighboring kingdoms and customs. We don’t get much if Harper and Rhen , which for Rhen is good, I really, really hated him this book, even at the end of it all . Harper stayed true to her character. I loved the relationship Grey and Jake had, and how it progressed to get there. I also enjoyed Tycho a lot. Lia Mara was fantastic as well, I really liked her from the beginning and she really, really is the perfect match for Grey. Overall epic book, better than book one, The ending…. Some things I saw coming a mile ahead other things really took me by surprises. The ending was torture and I can’t believe we have to wait till the end of 2021(according to GR) for the next book.
I rate this also a full 5★
Having little knowledge of Beauty and the Beast, I really didn't know what to expect.
I love this story though!!
Rhen, oh my gosh, I'm so glad that Harper figured everything out that she needed to. They are going to be an amazing couple.
I did think Harper had some sparks with Grey too though, and a small part of me is sad they didn't hook up instead.
I got sucked into this world of Emberfall just like Harper did, and now I pine for the next book in the series.
Fantasy fans, get this now!!!
10 books read to date.
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