Kelly St. Clare

When a book really grabs my attention from book 1, I can't resist the temptation to read book 2, which is proof this series is real good.

After the word is out that the vampires know Basilia's real identity, she is so angry at Kyros that she wishes to team up with the richest humans in town to buy as many estates as possible to win Ingenium under their own terms.

The problem?

While Basilia is angry at Kyros, she still yearns for his company because of the growing blood bond... and also because show more she discovers if she can convince Kyros to let her assist his clan while sabotaging their house sales as a double agent, she might be able to obtain something useful if they continue their next 3 blood exchanges... such as a few vampire superpowers to protect her from enemies or buying the freedom of the enslaved vampires she has befriended along the way.

I really enjoyed how the author does a balancing act between Basilia's double agent game ploys while nuturing the relationship between Basilia and Kyros. Oh, and yes, there are a lot of very funny scenes in the book. Jessica Alba leather suit gags? Yup! Bad pranks from Kyros's siblings to drive him nuts? Totally dig Lionel's prank. We also get some uh... colorful family time between Basilia and her terrifying potential father-in-law Julius which are quite funny.

I think if there was anything bad about the book, it is around the 60-70% point where the action seems to die down a bit too much and Basilia's plan to liberate the slaves is relegated to a back seat. Still, I enjoy the final battle of the book (the book offers a lot of red herrings from the very start but the battle is fun nonetheless). Even though Basilia is physically now stronger than normal humans, the book avoids making her either ridiculously superpowered or completely helpless. She has the right balance between a weak human body and still pretty good reflexes. I also dig it that we also get to meet some of the rival clan members and realize most of them are redeemable vamps.

Because of the sluggish middle of the book, I award it 4 1/2 stars! Great read! show less

When a book really grabs my attention from book 1, I can't resist the temptation to read book 2, which is proof this series is real good.

After the word is out that the vampires know Basilia's real identity, she is so angry at Kyros that she wishes to team up with the richest humans in town to buy as many estates as possible to win Ingenium under their own terms.

The problem?

While Basilia is angry at Kyros, she still yearns for his company because of the growing blood bond... and also because show more she discovers if she can convince Kyros to let her assist his clan while sabotaging their house sales as a double agent, she might be able to obtain something useful if they continue their next 3 blood exchanges... such as a few vampire superpowers to protect her from enemies or buying the freedom of the enslaved vampires she has befriended along the way.

I really enjoyed how the author does a balancing act between Basilia's double agent game ploys while nuturing the relationship between Basilia and Kyros. Oh, and yes, there are a lot of very funny scenes in the book. Jessica Alba leather suit gags? Yup! Bad pranks from Kyros's siblings to drive him nuts? Totally dig Lionel's prank. We also get some uh... colorful family time between Basilia and her terrifying potential father-in-law Julius which are quite funny.

I think if there was anything bad about the book, it is around the 60-70% point where the action seems to die down a bit too much and Basilia's plan to liberate the slaves is relegated to a back seat. Still, I enjoy the final battle of the book (the book offers a lot of red herrings from the very start but the battle is fun nonetheless). Even though Basilia is physically now stronger than normal humans, the book avoids making her either ridiculously superpowered or completely helpless. She has the right balance between a weak human body and still pretty good reflexes. I also dig it that we also get to meet some of the rival clan members and realize most of them are redeemable vamps.

Because of the sluggish middle of the book, I award it 4 1/2 stars! Great read! show less

I got this one at 12:03 a.m. the night/day of its release. I waited and refreshed as often as I could while still reading the book I used to fill the void between A Court of Honey and Ash and A Throne Of Feathers and Bone. So far I'm now 1/3 of the way in and I'm addicted and fully invested hook line and sinker. I'm loving Kallik and Lan even more than in book #1 and I can't wait to see how they navigate their new world and the muddy waters of their ever evolving relationship.

Ok. Now that show more some time has passed and I have just finished the entire book, I have so much to say but only a smidgen of it can be voiced... spoilers and all that.

To begin with, I'm pleasantly surprised by how vastly different this book's tone is from the first. In this book, Kallik is no longer running like a scared babe in the Woods.... trusting whomever will show her even the slightest bit of kindness. Don't get me wrong, she's still on the run but while scrambling frantically about, she manages to find a place where she can put a concerted effort into cultivating (and maybe appreciating more?) her freshly discovered/newly shaped magical abilities. Along the way she finds out more about herself... more of who she really is and what that means to the Fae world. She learns who has had her back all along... in the shadows (and out)... and why. She learns key bits about her backstory, answering many frustrating questions like what are the real reasons why her magic is wonky, (especially when she and Lan have any sort of contact)? She learns the truth about her family and how that ultimately changes her entire world.

Then there's the fire building between her and Lan which, in the last book, felt like a handful of embers that had potential for more if only it were tended to more vigorously WHICH definitely happens in this book... it is working itself into a raging 5 alarm blaze... the kind of legendary Amore that minstrels and bards go on and on waxing poetic about. I love them together. They are a sexy Ying/Yang although there are some complications whenever their powers intermingle but hey, there's always a learning curve with each new relationship, right?... some more than others.

Anyway...

There were a couple of twisty turns that were a bit easy to foresee ahead of their reveals but there were also a few that were better disguised. Either way, the decent amount of curveballs made this book one magical, action aplenty, romance, coming of age and into one's role in Life tale. I'd label that as a successful plot and a rewarding way to spend the day... and then there's that ending!!!

Overall:
This book has it all.
- solid writing? Check
- lush, detailed background? Check
- magical action? Check
- some sexytime heat? Check(ish)
- courtly drama? Check
- dramatic plot twists? CHECK
- excellent character development? Double Check!!
All that and an emotional cliffy ending? Yes, thank you! If you liked A Court of Honey and Ash, you'll especially enjoy this read. I hope book #3 comes out soon... I already miss Kallik and Company. They'd 100% never go by that name but it's better than Kallik et al.

The take away here is that I tore through this book with glee. I really enjoyed it and I'm excited to dive back into this World with these well crafted characters hopefully sometime soon.

A Crown of Petals and Ice can't come soon enough for me.

~ Enjoy show less

This was such an addictive, coming of age read. It had loads of action... in fact, right off the bat, we were dropped into the fray of a physical and mental set of trials whose results were to determine the rest of the participants' lives. There was drama and betrayal and lots of butt kicking a la, our MC, Kallik's style. Skipping ahead to avoid spoilers at all costs. There's more drama, some running, some more bouts of MC badass-ery, alliances made, betrayal and then there's Lan... yummy, show more angsty, possible owner of a stick up his bum, Faolan aka Lan. There was some slightly witty, but definitely natural feeling dialogue... a possible love triangle (which I normally shy away from... vehemently... but here it was nascent and harmless... so far) and a world not only populated by we mere humans but Fae of varying types as well. There was even a tiny pinch of Seelie courtly intrigue.

It was entertaining enough to demand all of my attention for the entirety of the book. I became increasingly vexed watching the page numbers increase, dreading the coming of the end WHICH, in and of itself, is an infallible sign of a truly enjoyable read! It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but (no spoilers here) I was extremely happy to see who it was that showed up at the very end. The writing was solid, the background building and character development were both lush, and detailed. Kallik was gifted (?), had loads of abandonment issues and was definitely flawed BUT she was also a kick ass fighter, survivor and loyal friend. The pacing was perfect. It had lots of drama and a dollop of romance peppered throughout a primarily Action-centric book.

Overall:

This book was a (very) happy accident. I found it hidden among the other Kindle Unlimited books soooo I ended up paying $0 and walked away with a really enjoyable read... win-win! This one's a great choice for lovers of Fantasy, Fae and (pretty tame) friends --> enemies(ish) ---> (possible) lovers tropes as well as those just looking for a magical, Alaskan read. It'll also be a hit with those that love kick ass female MCs that are working on personal growth, magical growth and trying their best to exorcize their emotional demons. The writing is really solid, the pacing is perfect, the world and character developments are diverse and quite satisfying. My interest is piqued and I'm anxious for September 27th to get here so I can find out what happens next. Luckily it's only a few days away but that can feel like torture when waiting for a sequel to drop.

I reccomend this book to all Jennifer Armentrout, (maybe some) Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black or even Julie Kagawa fans... it's a great way to spend a few hours... or many hours depending on how fast you read. My advice is to read slowly because waiting for the next book??... no es divertido!

~ Enjoy show less