miss guanzon, sadly, let me down a bit in this book with the familiar taste of romantasy that much felt like the other books out there. as much as i love romance, i draw the line when i read scenes that i've read in many other books — to the point that i just skim rather than be invested in the romantic development between compatible characters. 

i had high hopes for this book — at least, the same levels of intrigue, action, and political maneuvering that the first book excelled in — but second book syndrome hits hard. a monsoon rising felt more romance than fantasy, which leaves a disappointing ache while writing this review. and normally, if i loved the main characters enough, i wouldn't mind it, but the plot was weak in comparison to the romantic tone, which ultimately led to a shocking yet frustratingly confusing cliffhanger at the end. 

the reason why this isn't a two star is because of my favorite scene in the third act that had me on the edge of my seat because of a certain dragon. one of my favorite films of all time is how to train your dragon, so the dragon soft spot has been there for more than a decade. i loved the big battle scene! it was exhilarating — legend of zelda music was having a passionate orchestra in my head as i was reading that action-packed, emotionally driven scene. 

i just wish there was better groundwork for the twist at the end; i just felt confused how it played out, which is not what a reader should be feeling when you pull a twist, especially when it's a cliffhanger. some of the romance could've been swapped with more foreshadowing, i think. i don't even know who was in the last scene because she was in, like, 2 scenes, out of the 35 chapters in this book. the final execution was, in a word, sloppy. however, i will say that there's good groundwork for the future betrayal between the two main characters; i'm intrigued to see how the enemies to lovers plot line will go. 

a monsoon rising stole the wind from my sails while reading this series, but i'm sincerely hoping that the third book will restore my faith in the plot and will meet my expectations. happy reading!