It's almost funny that this one is almost opposite book 1 in what parts I did and didn't like, which actually makes me like it less. The will they won't they dynamic is back again, there's another slog of narrative, and the A-team, despite being apparently smart and capable and good at what they do, are incredibly stupid, and make one of the exact same mistakes they made in book 1.

Unlike book 1, the opening of this is a drag, and it doesn't help that it slows down even more somehow when the action of Rory getting stuck on the ice starts. It kept switching from Rory being in peril to "And Arthur, elsewhere, has still not left the house", which was... ridiculous.

I didn't expect to get even more annoyed at the story than that, but then the characters, again, kept Pavel's potions of unknown use in storage, which then broke, and again knocked the A-team out. I imagine Therin needed an excuse for Jade and Zhang to not be there to help Ace and Rory so that Gwen and Co. could show up mysteriously, or something, but it's... At this point it's just really stupid. I'm tired of being told how "useful" Pavel's potions are, when across maybe six of them in two books, precisely one has had any value to the A-team and the others were either used by enemies against them, or accidentally used against them.

I also found Rory's insistence that they bind Pavel to a relic - no matter what kind it was - as a way to control his magic utterly bizarre. Yes, it helped Gwen, yes, it made Rory more powerful, but Rory wasn't dealing with PTSD, which seems to be Pavel's main problem. Sure, common understanding of PTSD wasn't exactly a thing post-WWI, but given the OTHER side effects Gwen and Rory had with the relics, his obsession is just... weird, and felt more like giving him busywork to distract from how much of a mother hen Ace was being. Basically, a lot of this book was the characters being frustrating and doing incredibly stupid things, and most of it was not entertaining.

I did enjoy the new cast of characters, and this book made me even more interested in the spin-off, which is about two of them, but I'm solely going into that because of the positive reviews I've heard of it, and not based on my experience with this series. Despite the fact that I actually liked the climax by and large - far more so than the climax of book 1 - it took a long time to get there, and it wasn't a fun time, and my overall experience of the story was not positive. I think there's something of a neat story with intrigue and magic going on, and the central dynamic can still be kind of fun, but I'm really struggling to justify why I didn't star this lower than 3 stars. It's maybe a 2.5 star read at best. ( )

*SWOON* Ace and Rory's love story is my favorite kind. They both genuinely care about one another, but are still trying to figure out why they are in the relationship. The paranormal elements only add to the absolutely delightful romance. ( )

I got to read a NetGalley ARC of Starcrossed (Magic in Manhattan, #2) (Kindle Edition)
Published May 18th 2020 by Carina Press

This is my honest review:

IT IS SO GOOD.

You know a novel is a winner when you reach the end wanting more, but grinning because it's just perfect. This is that novel. I absolutely loved #1, and #2 is just as great, and I will be thrilled when #3 comes out. Fantastic characters, harrowing dangers, wicked magic, vivid scenes - the whole package, plus an ongoing love story of sweet snark and heartbreaking vulnerability. Read them! ( )

A great continuation of the story. The plot is basically the same with a few new characters - the group is still after the relics and is reeling from the damage done by the incident at the peer from the previous book, but a new couple of supernaturals is in town to cause trouble. We see more of Arthur's brothers and learn more about his past in WWI and how he came to be involved in the magical world. The characters don't really evolve any and there's none of the sexual tension of the previous book, so it felt a bit unsatisfying in that regard. There's even less sex than the first book (which I harrumphed about in my review) which might be a plus for some readers. So, while Ace and Rory have become a beloved couple among the mm books I've read, I fear they may become a bit boring unless some real tension or drama happens in the third book.

Note that this sequel starts immediately after the first and hits the ground running. Many reviewers complained about this but, since I read the books back to back, I had zero issues - let's see what happens when the 3rd book is released. ( )

3.5 stars rounded up. Rory is growing on me bit by bit, and their relationship is evolving. I liked it. ( )