When a shitty crooked sorcerer cop is holding you captive in a thorny briar until your sorcerer bf shows up with dirt magic like


“Let her go. [Or] I’ll bury you alive by her garden gate. I’ll enjoy it. Every time she goes out in the morning, every time she comes home, she’ll walk on your grave, and she’ll know she’s safe.”

Jared, sweetie baby bOOBOO HUZZZBANDDD.

Very good! The plot sometime got a little bit confusing and it was hard to follow. But it much better then the first one. And the ending twist was rather different. This book has such cool characters and and such quick witty comments. I can't wait for the next book! ( )

Very good! The plot sometime got a little bit confusing and it was hard to follow. But it much better then the first one. And the ending twist was rather different. This book has such cool characters and and such quick witty comments. I can't wait for the next book! ( )

Kami is now dealing with the fallout of uncovering the dark secrets of her hometown Sorry-in-the-Vale, all the while attempting to find a balance in her relationship with Jared, the imaginary-turned-real boy, as well as with his cousin Ash.

This is a very uneven follow up to the charming Unspoken. The plot is excruciatingly slow, and seems to focus more on teenage relationship drama rather than the fight against the evil forces in Sorry-in-the-Vale. In fact, for all of Kami's lip service to the terrifying darkness lurking in her town, the book lacks a sense of real danger. I never truly felt that Kami and her friends were really threatened by the villain and his followers since most of the book deals with the main characters talking, being angsty, and having a lot of tension between each other. Kami sneaks around town, spies on people, and does some research into Sorry-in-the-Vale's history. There is some time spent on an unsolved mystery surrounding a deceased citizen, but it isn't resolved in this book, which made it seem like a waste of time, although I am betting the author is just setting things up for the next and final installment in this trilogy.

Mostly, the magic plotline seems to be a vehicle for Kami's drama with Jared and Ash. Kami is full of confused feelings for both Lynburn boys. And both boys have a jumbled mess of emotions as well. And then throw a few minor characters like Holly in the mix and you've got a veritable teen melodrama on your hands. I'm not really happy with what happened between the characters in terms of their romantic choices and how all of it was handled. I feel like a lot of it was meaningless drama that could have been resolved if characters just talked to each other rather than keeping all their thoughts to themselves. So many things in this book seemed based on assumptions and misunderstandings. It was kind of frustrating to read about.

I feel like the Jared/Holly thing wasn't really addressed at all and made me lose respect for the two of them, as well as Kami. If I were Kami, I would have felt pretty gross knowing that a close friend of mine attempted to hook up with the guy I liked; a guy who, just days after the fact, suddenly proclaims his love for me, despite being a total jerk leading up to it.

I have to give credit to Sarah Rees Brennan, though, for actually fleshing out just about the entire cast in this book, since even the minor characters get quite a bit of development. I also like the fact that adults and parents were involved and not conspicuously missing as per the usual YA fare. Still, the book felt like it was more about adding depth to the characters and their relationships with each other, rather than moving the magic plot forward. I do feel that the plot was artificially dragged out to fill more pages (three whole books' worth!). I think some of the relationship drama could have been cut out, and in another writer's hand, this could have been a really good, tightly-plotted 400-page standalone novel. ( )

Goddamnit another cliffhanger.

I enjoyed this almost as much as the first book. I enjoyed getting to see more of the characters (would again have loved some more Angela) and the humor and fun was still there. ( )