Author| Samantha Shannon
Edition| Hardback
Genre| New Adult Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Dystopian
Publisher| Bloomsbury USA
Rating| 5 Stars
This review is SPOILER FREE. Please be just as courteous in the comments, thanks!
I was so afraid to read this book. Trembling, actually. I loved the first one so much, and I read it right after it came out, that I couldn't imagine a sequel actually happening and being any different. I was so drunk on everything the first brought to the table that I couldn't even begin to imagine a second course. So when it came time to read it, I was afraid.
But that fear did not keep me back! No, I read this book and I absolutely loved it. I think I liked it better than the first. No, I KNOW I liked it better than the first. The world building was what I lived for. It was so beautiful and so unique. I can imagine living in the syndicate myself. In fact, world-building-wise, it wrapped up every problem I had with the first one.
While I could go on and on about everything I loved, I thought I'd point out the few things that were less satisfying. There are two glaring smudges on what could be a perfect story. The romance, and the smaller characters.
I like Paige. And I like Warden. And I like them together. And I don't want them to be with anyone else. Yet, their relationship doesn't hold any spark for me. I want it to sizzle and burn and become something that gives my heart the chills. Instead it's just ink on paper. And in this book, very underdeveloped. It takes Warden a while to be reintroduced, and after that, he stays stagnant. The next book seems to promise much more, and the first book clearly had quite a bit of him, but this one, serving as a bridge, fell flat in that regard.
As for the side characters, I did come to love all the new ones incorporated. And I love all of the old ones too. Which is the problem. Samantha Shannon seems to be the prodigy of George RR Martin because I'm convinced everyone will be dead in the end. With lives she is so fleeting and, almost, careless. I know it's not carelessness, but when so many people are dropping, the effect seems to lose itself. This is just a personal thought, though, and something I carry over from my experience with
Bone Season. I don't think this should dissuade anyone from reading the book in the least.
Now I must wait for the third book. Which will also frighten me, I am sure. Happy reading! (Also, I'm on Twitter now! Find me
@TsundokuSam)
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