Little Bird. Yep, we’re back with that nickname, and I still have a love-hate relationship with it. Because COME ON ALREADY!!! The story picks up right where book one left off (so YES, you must read book one first to understand the emotional chaos these characters are wading through). Book one left me rooting for Kali to push through the physical trials and discover her inner strength. But book two? Oh, this is where it all gets torn down. It’s a cocktail of self-destruction, denial, depression, doubt, determination, discovery, and devotion. That’s a lot of D’s—and trust me, there’s some of that too. 👀

Anyway, back to the book. The tension in this story is chef’s kiss—you’ll feel like that thread holding it all together is about to snap at any moment. And honestly, if it doesn’t, you might want to snap at Kali yourself. That girl, woman, FEMALE—whatever you want to call her—needed a good smack more than once. But let’s not dump all the blame on her, because there’s Jax. WAIT. Nope. I refuse to drag my man Jax through the mud. He’s perfect and can melt the ice around my heart anytime. Instead, let’s turn our attention to bird boy—yes, that one. Bird-brained, feather-shedding, arrogance-on-legs. Some of you will love his cocky attitude, but for me? Nah. Team Jax all the way.

The author nailed the high fantasy elements, weaving in new creatures and lore without ever feeling like an info dump. The emotional complexity of Kali, as she battles her own instincts to protect herself while learning to let people in, is painfully relatable—whether you’re in this fantasy world or not.

If you love easy-to-read fantasy packed with trials of the physical, emotional, and mental variety (and some serious slow burn), this is the series for you. While there’s a book three on the way, you could absolutely stop at books one and two and feel satisfied (unless you’re nosy like me and NEED all the details for every single character). So what are you waiting for? Go read it. You know you’re curious about this bird-brained mess of a world. 🖤