| Title | : | A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 480 |
| Publication | : | First published November 2, 2021 |
Meanwhile, the resurrection of Karina’s sister has spiraled the world into chaos, with disaster after disaster threatening the hard-won peace Malik has found as Farid’s apprentice. When they discover that Karina herself is the key to restoring balance, Malik must use his magic to lure her back to their side. But how do you regain the trust of someone you once tried to kill?
As the fabric holding Sonande together begins to tear, Malik and Karina once again find themselves torn between their duties and their desires. And when the fate of everything hangs on a single, horrifying choice, they each must decide what they value most—a power that could transform the world, or a love that could transform their lives.
A Psalm of Storms and Silence (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #2) Reviews
-
i really enjoyed the plot of ‘a song of wraiths and ruin,’ which is why i was so excited to pick this up and continue the story. however, the plot is not what i enjoyed about this sequel.
the pacing is actually really slow and the plot somewhat takes a back seat. if anything, this installment really focuses on further developing the world and characters. which i didnt mind once i got used to it. i actually thought it was great to see more of the world and venture outside of the city/palace. it definitely allowed for more world-building. and both malik and karina are just as complex and realistic as ever.
and i actually liked the ending. its not your traditional ending as it has more of a hopeful feel, rather than a happy one, but the epilogue is so beautifully written that i couldnt help but like it. and i think many other readers will find it satisfying, as well.
overall, enjoyable for different reasons than ‘a song of wraiths and ruin,’ but still an enjoyable conclusion, nonetheless.
↠ 3.5 stars -
"The dead are the dead are the dead."
❗❗Spoiler-free ARC Review❗❗
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (more like 3.5 actually)
❗Trigger Warning: Suicide attempt.❗
Well... this was something. It was not what I expected, a bit underwhelming compared to its hype and the awesomeness that was the first book. Still a great book, but not as good as it could have been.
Admittedly, I hadn't done a re-read of the first book, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, beforehand and it took a little while to become re-acquainted with the plot and characters. However, it started off very, very well. Intriguing and to the point, with a storytelling style to it. As if the readers are listening to a storyteller encountered in Zirani listening entranced to Malik and Karina's story. This was a very nice touch which I really, really like in spite of my usual dislike of the narrator referring to the reader. This time it fit well with the tone of the story.
However, the good stuff just about ends here (plot-wise). The plot was rather mediocre. Dull and kind of depressing. For one thing, it'd drag on, with nothing of much interest happening at all, nothing mind-blowing or plot-twisty, except maybe on one or two parts. It could definitely be a lot better...a bit disappointing really. Also, one misfortune came after the other, for both Malik and Karina. Literally, the entirety of the book is those two trying to do something and failing colossally, whether it was their fault or just plain old bad luck. Hardly anything went their way. I found it a bit too bleak, and I like Edgar Allan Poe 🤷♀️🤷♀️. The ending wasn't much better, either. Not to say I didn't like it at all. It was pretty cute, but again, it could have been a lot better (I would elaborate more but I don't want to spoil anything.)
I've had the exact opposite reaction to the characters, though. I honestly forgot just how much I loved all of them...except Farid. Farid can go to hell and stay there, the little shit!! Karina was an absolute masterpiece, so well-written I felt her hope, her anger, her despair, EVERYTHING with her. The same goes for Malik, who's had one of the BEST character developments in the entire book/series. AMAZING WRITING. He dropped straight to the rocky bottom and climbed right back up again. Gloriously so. Even though, he became really, really unlikeable for a minute there. There were a lot of new and incredible characters in there too. Fantastically well written, with remarkable backstories and forming some of the most amazing friendships with the MCs.
My absolute favourite character, however, has to be Idir and his strange, and hilarious relationship with Malik. They had a very Sam Winchester x Lucifer kind of relationship but with more feeling (if you understand SPN references) that I just loved unconditionally, and it all took me completely by surprise. I did not expect the hilarious bickering between them. Theirs were the most amazing moments of the book (aside from the Karina x Malik stuff of course). He was the comedic relief the book needed. The other relationship I can talk about without spoiling was Karina and Malik's. Their scenes were a treasure from beginning to end. Beautiful, sweet, and filled with a lot of sexual tension (which I will never get sick of) even when they were supposed to hate each other. Actually, especially then.
One thing that definitely deserves to be noted, is how well mental illness was written into the story, once again. Respectful, accurate just like in the first book. Except for this time, there was a more serious, darker side to mental illness that cut my breathing short. There were some moments that were so well-detailed and raw, they held my attention completely, in frozen terror. I literally (the correct use of the word) got goosebumps and chills down my back. I could feel the despair, the emptiness, the darkness inside the characters. The details of what goes on inside an ill person's mind during their darkest and lowest moments gave a whole new meaning to the book. Anyone who's ever said that fantasy/sci-fi books cannot include important, serious themes is a complete idiot and needs to shut up!! That's all I have to say about that.
In spite of its dull moments, I would still recommend this book/series. It is definitely worth reading.
Don't know what I'm talking about?
Check out my review of the first book, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin -
#1)
A Song of Wraiths & Ruin ★★★★★
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Ghanaian-inspired setting & cast; Malik (mc) has anxiety.
Blog •
Trigger Warning Database •
StoryGraph -
i need this now or else i'm gonna die
-
the beauty of this cover is truly,,, unmatched, no thoughts, head full of malik and karina
~~~
thinkin' bout how i won't get new malik and karina content until 2021,,, -
Y’ALL TODAY’S THE DAY
—☆—
so ready for malik & karina supremacy holy shit -
3.5 stars
not going to lie, this was a bit underwhelming compared to the first and i didn't like how malik and karina kept going back and forth between enemies or not enemies (miscommunication *eye roll*) but they are stronger than before!! i loved karina's desperation and determination and malik's spiral and mental health and how he chose to overcome it. i was unsure how the author would conclude their story but the ending was very fitting to be honest, it had me staring into the void and imagining the scenario T_T -
we have a cover and it's beautiful!! i cannot, malik and karina are holding hands! are you telling me that i have to wait until june for this book?! noooooooooo-
-
Check out the review on my blog
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.... -
A beautiful and stunning end, Malik and Karina have my heart! "A Psalm of Storms and Silence" has more magic, romance and amazing tales. I loved the chemistry of the characters and the world expanding. Roseanne's narrative is so incredible! The battle scenes... what a ride! In every chapter we felt the power of this story, the culture, the kindness of the author with her characters. Hope you enjoy this as much as me, cause this book is huge, sensible and very intense.
Thanks HarperCollins for the advance reader's e-proof. -
A Psalm of Storms and Silence was truly a worthy sequel to A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, which I read and loved last year. I was delighted to have received an e-arc, and couldn’t help but dive right in. From the start, I was hooked. The writing style that I already very much enjoyed in the first book allowed me to quickly be sucked back in to the world, and also provided many memorable, impactful, and beautiful quotes. Very frequently, these quotes contained powerful messages reflecting current issues relating to our society as well, which I highly appreciated.
The plot was so much more than I could have imagined based on the ending of the first book. I kept being surprised by all the twists and turns and the new directions the story was developing in, and especially the second half of the book was wild. As a result, I read that in about a day; I simply sped through it, because all I wanted to do was keep reading.
I already loved Karina and Malik in ASOWAR, as well as how well-developed they were, and I loved seeing both their growth arcs in this book. I couldn’t help but root for both of them. APOSAS introduced even more amazing characters that I could fall in love with. I even found myself finding unexpected new appreciation for a certain character. Furthermore, in general, I found the characters to be developed nicely, also the villain. Apart from the characters on their own, I enjoyed seeing the dynamics between them: the friendships, the love. There were so many sweet and fluffy scenes that I absolutely adored.
There were a couple of tiny things I would have liked to have a bit more elaboration on, and I did find one small element related to the ending to be rushed. However, apart from that aspect, I felt like the ending was handled so well, and in my opinion the epilogue was absolutely perfect. This series has certainly become one of my all time favourite duologies, and I hold the characters such close to heart.
𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘈. 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯�� 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
{Short thoughts after finishing: Full review to come but some quick remarks: I love these characters, I love the messages the book holds, I love the writing style, I love how wild the second half of this book was, and this book may possibly contain my favourite epilogue I have ever read (in my opinion the epilogue truly was perfect).} -
![julia ☆ [owls reads]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1636739475i/5520447._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
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A Song of Wraiths and Ruin: ★★★✮☆ | 3.5 stars
*
2.5 stars.
*
"The dead are the dead are the dead."
A Psalm of Storms and Silence was really not what I was expecting from a sequel and... it was not necessarily ina good way. Brown's writing was still engrossing and I loved the world-building very very much, but the pace was a bit too slow for me during the first 65% or so.
Karina and Malik continued to be very complex and well developed characters. I still really enjoyed Karina as a narrator and her journey through the story, especially during the final 30%. I am really sad to say that I found Malik's chapters almost unbearable to get through. His anxiety and the way it presented itself in the form of severely negative thoughts about himself, plus the self-harm, started making me upset. Because of this, I had to skim parts of his chapters.
The plot, as I mentioned above, dragged some during the first 65%. It felt a bit to me like Brown didn't know where to go with the characters and story? So she kept adding words and scenes that weren't actually necessary. That was a very big difference for me as a reader when comparing it to the first book where I felt like every single scene/chapter had a purpose. Things did pick up once all the characters had a goal in mind, though!
I did quite enjoy the ending! The characters ended up where I thought they would end up and I was glad that those who deserved it got their happy endings. I guess it just wasn't anything mindblowing to me.
*
Series: #2 in the
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin series.
POV: Told from Karina and Malik's POVs.
Content Warnings:
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA: -
Overall Rating : C-
"'There you go again with your talk of archtypes. I'm pretty sure if we were in a story, we would know.'
'Of course we aren't. No characters in any good story would know they were in one.'"
I wish I could've liked this more than the first one but I couldn't deal with the fact that the two main characters that barely interacted at all in this duology apparently where soulmates. And there was also some kind of Mary-Sue like character introduced that made it weird and meta, and I don't much care for meta(they're the ones that said that quote).
And the weird thing is that all the characters on their own were so unique and strong, it's just when they interacted that they became dull and a little too obvious. Except for Hanane, she was so refreshing to read and see her struggles and, finally, her voice. I felt for her the most.
Basically, a little more fantasy/action, a little less teenage love drama, and I would be all set. -
the fact that I won't have this book in my hands until summer 2021 is an actual crime
-
Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars
UTTERLY ENCHANTED W/ THIS CONCLUSION!
RTC -
this is the sequel to a song of wraiths and ruin.
karina lost everything and is now the most wanted person in sonande. she’s on the hunt for a divine power that can help her reclaim what is rightfully hers. but her sister has come back from the dead and malik is still wanting karina dead, both of which further complicate things.
so, i read book one in september, and meant to read this one a LOT sooner😭 however, i’m so glad that i finally got to this book because it really exceeded my expectations. the plot was AMAZING and i had trouble stepping away from this book (which i luckily didn’t have to do often). i’ll really miss this story and the characters, i can’t believe it’s over!! -
°•.•╔✿═══════════════════๏⊙๏════✿╗•.•°
He had come so far from the panic-stricken boy who had used to climb these trees and pray to the gods to free him from his own mind. But he still had farther to go before he was ready to stand at her side.
But one more perhaps, for you have been so faithful to this tale.
And then perhaps they’d both stop at opposite ends of a street, both enraptured by the very tale I just told you now. Perhaps the story would crack open something deep inside them and let all the light in. They’d both wander in a daze after, neither of them seeing the figure in front of them until they’d already collided.
They’d likely stare.
He’d smile.
She’d smile back.
And that’s the beautiful thing about endings, for even them coming back together again would not be the end. What seems like the end is simply another beginning, another place where an old dog like me can jump in and start spinning words into magic.
So don’t be saddened, my friend. Come closer, warm yourself by the fire.
Abraa! Abraa! Come gather, one and all, for a story is about to begin!.•°•╚✿════๏⊙๏═══════════════════✿╝•°•
And that , ladies and gentleman i believe is enough proof that this ending was absolutely beautiful.
I still think people are subconsciously sleeping on this doulogy. Go and do yourself a favor and read this.
Peace out...🤘 -
Thank you so much to Roseanne E. Brown and Epic Reads for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Y’ALL omg. I feel like the world has been waiting for A Psalm of Storms and Silence since A Song of Wraiths and Ruin came out in June 2020 and the original release date of APOSAS was pushed back. While I did have some issues with the pacing of ASOWAR, I was immediately drawn to Karina and Malik in Book 1, and I can definitively say that I enjoyed APOSAS much more than I did ASOWAR.
It was super interesting to see how Karina and Malik’s dynamics had changed after the explosive ending of ASOWAR. You can really tell that this duology is both Malik and Karina’s story through the way that we follow each individual character much more than we follow both these characters together. This sequel contains the “seeing/communicating with each other in our dreams” trope, which is such an underrated trope in fantasy, imo. Both Karina and Malik are such great characters individually. Of course, Karina is so incredibly strong and unapologetically herself--she’s truly such an amazing role model for young female readers. And Malik’s character arc from making some horrible decisions to working his way to earn the respect of others around him was really great to see. I also think that in general, the enemies-to-lovers trope is also really well done in this duology. The “do I kiss them or kill them” theme was so prevalent LOL.
There were also so many other aspects of this novel that I loved, like Idir’s relationship with Malik; the disability and mental health representation, and the harrowing action sequences. I also loved the “storytelling” aspect of the story in which the chapters were interrupted by a narrator speaking as if they were retelling Malik and Karina’s story for a play or book. The epilogue was also so bittersweet :( No spoilers about what happened, but I think I’m just gonna go ahead and reinvent a new epilogue for my own well-being :)
Be sure to pick up A Psalm of Storms and Silence on November 2! If you were a fan of ASOWAR, you’ll definitely love this one. -
This was good! Loved how the story ended and the characters and the writing and the world. Had such a good time with this 🥺
-
3.5 stars rounded up!
This was a really well done conclusion to a strong duology. The world really expanded in this book from ASOWAR. I think that the confusions from book one were wrapped up. This book may have been a little too long and it meandered a bit in the middle, but man that ending! -
Meine Meinung:
Seit dem Beenden von Band Eins, hab ich mich sehr auf das Finale der Dilogje gefreut und vor allem darauf, in diese Welt zurückzukehren. Das Setting und Worldbuilding der Reihe ist zwar komplex aber auch faszinierend. Ich liebe die Beschreibungen der Autorin und sie schafft es wirklich, dass man alles genau vor Augen hat. Dennoch hab ich eine ganze Weile gebraucht, um wieder reinzukommen und mir gewünscht, ich hätte die Ereignisse aus Band Eins vorher nochmal aufgefrischt. Einerseits mochte ich die Komplexität der Welt, aber andererseits war sie mir auch ein wenig zu viel und schwierig zu verstehen. Die Handlung war dennoch wieder interessant und die Charaktere hatten so einige Geheimnisse und Wendungen auf Lager, mit denen ich so nicht gerechnet hätte. Auch eine Liebesgeschichte gab es natürlich, diese nimmt aber nur einen kleinen Teil ein. Durch ein paar Längen im Mittelteil und den schwierige Einstieg bleibt Teil Eins zwar mein Favorit, aber dennoch hab ich das Finale genossen.
Fazit:
Auch wenn ich ein paar Probleme mit der Komplexität hatte, so hatte ich dennoch viel Freude mit der Dilogie. Ich würde die Reihe High Fantasy Fans durchaus empfehlen, aber raten beide Teile direkt hintereinander zu lesen.
3,5/5 Sterne -
This finale could have been better.
I enjoyed it but the story doesn't feel complete at all.
I'm not referring to the romance alone even though to rush of it in the first book was a concern, it's the fact that the political system has been built up only for us readers to have all the circumstances told to us rather than shown. I was really rooting for this finale and hoping it would show us a full story of how everything has changed once a new and more pure power was restored, but we didn't get that.
We only experienced the conflict end but there wasn't any expansion, it was mostly a build-up then a conclusion.
I finished this a few hours ago and I gave it a 4 stars but the more and more I think about it, it left me dissatisfied and somewhat disappointed. Unfortunately as this was only a duology we are not promised more content in this world and I think a political system, the threat and the romantic plot-line as such would have benefited from a series with at least 3 books.
It's not that the writing is bad, but everything is so rushed for how promising this plot, world, story and these characters are.
I will continue to read Roseanne A Brown's books in the future, but unfortunately this isn't a conclusion I loved. -
War der erste Teil starke vier Sterne, ist der Abschluss der Dilogie eher schwache vier Sterne.
Hier waren die Charaktere teilweise zu stark dem Plot unterworfen, was manches nicht sehr organisch gemacht hat. -
KARINNA AND MALIK DESERVE THE WORLD!
-
5 stars.
APoSaS is BRILLIANT.
i am so happy to say......APoSaS is my second 5-star read of the year YAAYYYYY 🤩yes i know it's already like the end of December lmaoslkdfjs
i genuinely love this book so, SOOO much - i can't remember the last time i was this captivated and engaged with a book the entire way through. i was literally, completely, absolutely obsessed with this book for the past few days like it consumed a lot of my thoughts lol and i kept picking it up every chance i got in my free time, which i haven't done with a book in soooo long ahh
every single aspect of this book, from the rich worldbuilding, to the intricate character development, to the complex relationships, to the dazzling writing, absolutely blew me away by how incredible it was. as you probably can tell from my status updates, APoSaS(hehe it's fun to type the acronym)gave me ALLLL THE FEELS (...mostly pain if we're being honest),, it took me on a whole emotional rollercoaster and i wasn't prepared 😭 Roseanne A Brown rly had to do that to my heart huh :')))
i laughed, i cried, i screamed, i grew frustrated, and most importantly, i fell in love with the depth and complexity of so many of the characters in this book <3 Karina's character arc in particular made me super emotional ahhh,, the way she is unapologetically herself and carved out her own legacy and future.....POWERFUL. also just all of the charactersexcept Fariddeserve the world ok, they went through so much pain
both of the main character's relationships with their siblings made me CRY. i could really, really feel the love Malik had for his sisters - the way he would do absolutely anything for them and the way Nadia and Leila both kept him in check / was often the voice of reason for him :') i just really loved their sibling dynamics and would look forward to all of their interactions. and of course Karina's relationship with Hanane was super interesting and complicated, but through all of the messiness, anyone could still see the love that had for each other.
Roseanne A Brown's writing is truly BRILLIANT and blew my mind away!! would not be able to count the number of times i had to stop and reread a certain quote or passage twice because i needed to properly savor her genius omg......and ALSO. building on from the first book, the angst, the slowburn, the pining between Karina and Malik was immaculate, like p h e w. so many lines hit me right in the heart and i was really reminded of why i love the enemies to lovers trope LMAO 👀 the yearning is real and i'm here for it slkdfjs
a few spoilery thoughts (presented in a random order with no flow of logic whatsoever lmao):
TLDR: THIS DUOLOGY HAS OFFICIALLY BECOME ONE OF MY FAVORITE YA FANTASY DUOLOGIES OF ALL TIME !!!!! APoSaS really had everything i've ever wanted in a book and i'm gonna start forcing (i mean persuading) y'all to read it and join the Roseanne A Brown fanclub <3
trigger/content warnings: -
"A Psalm of Storms and Silence" picks up right where "A Song of Wraiths and Ruin" ended -- Karina has fled her kingdom of Sonande after Farid's betrayal and the resurrection of her long-dead sister. Now she finds herself on a quest to regain what was rightfully hers. Malik, meanwhile, finds himself allied with Farid, who uses him to find Karina.
What follows is an action-packed adventure of redemption with a touch of the romance readers have been wanting since book one! I did find some of the questing confusing as there were a lot of relics, gods, and history to keep track of. Also, I felt personally attacked by that ending. I won't spoil anything, but being told what's what by the omniscient narrator that addresses the reader at the start of the book left me unfulfilled, but ashamed for it. I did, however, enjoy the story, which read quickly and provided a great resolution to the end of this short series. -
This book put me through the wringer. I'm gonna keep it buck with you guys, it is not the strongest sequel.
The first thirty percent or so was dragging, mostly because it felt too 'quippy'. It gave me the same energy as a Marvel movie, but it had an unearned rapport with the new side characters who were all VERY interesting. Caracal, Ife, and Hanane were all wonderful and intriguing, and I would have loved a third book to get to know them more. Instead, it felt rough and slightly shoehorned in.
After we get over that, the middle begins to accelerate and never stops. Brown keeps a breakneck pace that I adore, and we really get to know the depth of Malik's despair and Karina's desperation. They went from feeling surface level at the beginning of the book to fully fleshed out. Brown does a particularly good job depicting Malik, his spiral, and the combination of his mental illness with the pressure of keeping himself -- and Idir -- contained. Brown handles his pain honestly and with raw emotion in a way that actually made me cry.
Brown also does callbacks and references well. Between Karina and Malik, although they are separated for most of the book on their journey, the parallels between them are quite beautiful at times.
Ultimately though, Brown has too little book with too much plot. Although I'm typically a huge fan of duologies, I think she would have really benefited from expanding into a Trilogy. The motivations behind the actions of characters, including Hanane and Idir, didn't feel completely believable. The readers would have benefited from more time to flesh them out.
The ending is definitely controversial. Once again I was thrown back to that "Marvel movie" type ending that left me feeling unfulfilled and rolling my eyes. But other people may feel different, which is something I recognize. And there's always fan fiction to turn to. Brown ended it how she felt most appropriate, I just happen to disagree. I hope other people get what they want, or what they need from it.
The book was 'good' so I give it three stars. The Karina and Malik story, especially their inner lives, are beautiful. That is where Brown excels and flourishes. She just happened to be held back a bit by the pacing. The world she created was lush and beautiful, and could have benefited from another full book for the readers to lose themselves in. But for now, like Idir in the lemon grove, I will simply wait to see what happens next. -
I'm conflicted about this book because I really loved some parts of it, but other parts really frustrated me, so I'll just list them here.
What I liked:
- In this book, we have interlude chapters told from a storyteller's POV and you are the person this narrator is speaking to. I loved this narrative setup. I am such a sucker for a story within a story, and this really enhanced the narrative for me personally.
- Malik is the shining star in this book. His storyline was heartbreaking at times, hilarious at others, and always enjoyable to read from. I honestly think the anxiety rep here is one of my favourites that I've seen in fantasy, and it really hit close to home for me.
- The way that Roseanne Brown discusses and handles the topic of grooming and abuse in this book is really well done, in my opinion. It's extremely difficult to read at times, and it's completely heartbreaking, but the severity of this is never downplayed or romanticized in any way.
- I absolutely loved Idir as a character and his relationship/banter with Malik
What I didn't like:
- Karina wasn't my favourite in book 1, but she'd started to grow on me by the end. Unfortunately, I feel like her character got worse in this book and she felt, at times, spoiled and entitled, which I just personally didn't care for.
- 90% of this book could have been avoided if Malik and Karina just actually had a conversation
- A lot of the side characters were developed only halfway, and then all of a sudden their storylines were just dropped. This was extremely frustrating to read because like I said, I didn't love Karina's storyline, and so when the development and storyline of the secondary characters I actually did like were dropped for Karina's storyline, it made it even more unsatisfying.
- I'm not saying this was the author's intent, but I definitely feel a little queerbaited with a potential sapphic relationship (possibly two? not sure) that was literally just dropped with zero closure.
All in all though, I did like the very end - the epilogue was beautifully written, and I feel like it didn't fall into the trap that I feel a lot of YA series fall into of just wrapping everything up into a neat little bow. I'd definitely still recommend this series overall and I think it's worth a read, especially on audio as I think the narrators do a fantastic job. -
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin quickly became a new favourite fantasy read and although I can’t say I loved this one quite as much, it was a still a solid and exciting sequel. Roseanne A. Brown has created a vivid world and magic system, with characters and relationships I’m going to miss dearly. If you’re looking for a gripping and unique fantasy read with one of YA’s most addictive ‘will they won’t they?’ enemies to lovers romances, this is the series of you.
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what. a. journey.
