4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

”Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too.”

I’m glad that this sequel is more action-packed and engaging than its predecessor.

• The writing is still not it for me, Leigh Bardugo’s writing style just doesn’t click for me for some reason; not saying that she’s a bad writer but the writing just doesn’t flow easily for me.

• The sequel gave the characters a little more depth that made them more likable to me. Nina Zenik is the star of this duology and I like Kaz Brekker a little bit better since he seems less bland in this one but I still don’t understand the hype about him because he still doesn’t stand out to me. I felt all the other characters got their own moment of spotlight this time. Also, their bond felt more real this time and I did enjoy some of their interactions. There’s a certain beloved character that makes an appearance in this that it made me grin like an idiot because I did miss that character. There were scenes that really tugged are my heart strings and that made me realize that I did form some sort of a connection with some of the characters.

• There were many moments were I felt a disconnection with the plot. I had to pause a few times to try and pinpoint what the plot is there were times were I felt everything is disjointed and it did not progress smoothly.

• I wish Grisha Magic had a stronger presence since this is one of the most unique magic systems I read about.

I did enjoy this better than the first book but I seem to be in the minority of those that do not love this duology. I still think many readers would have a far more enjoyable experience with it than I did.