Reviews with content warning for Grief - Beztroska

If she is Shadow, then I am Flame. This girl is the very thing I can’t seem to escape—can’t seem to go anywhere without the remnants of her following. Where I am, she is. Whether it’s in the flesh or in the fragments of my mind. And where there is a flame, there is always a shadow. She is my inevitable.

This book feels like the in-between story. Meaning, there isn’t a lot of action or story progression here, so it’s much more character driven. That said, this book is still AMAZING!!! The pining, the freaking slow-burn/enemies to lovers romance, is *chef’s kiss* perfection! I mean it… swooning is guaranteed when you read every interaction between Paedyn and Kai.

And now I’ll drown in the regret that is him... There is no past, no future. Just him. Just us. Just this moment and what we decide to do with it. Death emboldens. The end initiates... My heart aches. Aches to be reunited with the piece he’s stolen from me... I am recklessness incarnate. Until the very end. My mouth meets his. He tastes like longing. Like regret and relief. Like nothing matters but this moment. It’s fervent, like a sinner’s final prayer. And maybe that is what this kiss is. Repentance.

There are also a lot of unexpected surprises in this story, the expansion of this world (I mean, Kai goes all over the place looking for Paedyn), and we get Kitt’s POV while he’s back at the castle. This book really fleshes out the world we were introduced to and explores the ramifications of everything that happened in Powerless.

“Out here I am Kai and nothing more... Out here I am powerless. A monster without an ability to hide behind. An Enforcer free from his masks. A man shouting his love for a woman... I think I would fall on my sword if it meant you mourned me,” he breathes. “And it’s terrifying to think you hold that much power over me... You asked me what my favorite color was once. I’d never even pondered the answer to that question before you. And yet, I realized in that moment that it was blue... It is your eyes... I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I’ll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you’ll break me. So, if even a sliver of your soul longs for mine, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it."

After Powerful broke my heart wide open, it was refreshing to return to the banter between Kai & Paedyn. However, the pining? The yearning? The sizzle? Whew! The way these two have me “just one more chapter”-ing until well past an acceptable bedtime... ugh, I just love them so much! And for anyone who “ships” them, this will make you happy... but the cliffhanger ending is borderline criminal.

He is my anchor, and I am willing to sink, so long as it is with him... Because uttering the words feels like a death sentence. Every person I’ve ever loved has left me. I’m cursed to lose in love. But that is what I feel for him, what I’ve felt even when I hated him. Because hating him was easier than hating myself for wanting him... Because wherever I love, people die. And I’d rather love him silently than mourn him loudly.

While I still prefer duet-style narration, the actors in this story beautifully delivered the emotion necessary for this book. I also liked the addition of Kitt’s voice, so we’re able to see how he’s managing life post-Powerless too. Watching how the characters grow in this book is what makes it so great. It’s a true sequel, in that regard, because it picks the story up right where we left it in Powerless & dives deeper in the each character.

Content Warnings