Eclipse The skies is the long awaited sequel to Ignite the Stars. I must say it didn't dissapoint me at all. Amazing worlbuilding that is easy to understand and incredibly written characters. A book filled with amazing humor and unexpected moments. A really good conclusion to the duology.

Thank you, Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars! Eclipse the Skies is one of those rare sequels that was way better than it predecessor! ( I admittedly was not a big fan of the first book, Ignite the Stars)

Ia and her team of unlikely friends are back after their battle with Ia's brother, Einn and they're ready to team up and stop him from taking over the universe! While the first book in the series, Ignite the Stars, was lacking in the action department, this book was the exact opposite! This one had me turning pages with all the kick-ass space action happening through-out the entire story! There's more unlikely friendships, more betrayal, and more battle scenes and I loved it!

pick a copy of this one up soon, on September 3rd!

Hi Friends :) I started reading Eclipse the Skies immediately upon finishing Ignite the Stars. I just had to know how it ends! I love just being able to binge a whole series instead of having to wait for the next book to be released. Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So we're back with my babies Ia and Knives, who both find themselves in situations they never expected to be in. Ia is on the Commonwealth's side (mostly) because her beloved brother is trying to kill her? Plot twist I did NOT see coming! Knives is now headmaster of the Academy and is very not ready for this type of responsibility. Partly because he's hardcore crushing on Ia who is a known criminal and normally Commonwealth enemy numero uno.

I won't go too much into the plot of this story so I'm not too spoiler-y but I did enjoy reading this follow up. There was plenty of action and more slowburn romance from our friends Ia and Knives, though if I'm being honest it was <strong>too </strong>slow of a burn for me. There were definitely aspects of this book that didn't fully do it for me, so I had to drop the rating. Even though Ignite the Stars was a 5 star read, I had to give Eclipse the Skies a 4/5.

First off, a lot abut the plot feels unfinished. It felt like a lot of ends were not wrapped up and I still had many questions at the end of the book. The romance was lacking, I definitely prefer more romance between the main characters. Lastly, I was not happy with the ending. It felt very stiff and wasn't a "happy" ending - which I definitely prefer. But, it seems like she left it open so she could return to this world at a later date. For this, I will postpone final judgment.

So here comes the sequel to the most-awaited space-themed dysptopian novel. In this book, Maura Milan focused on Ia Cõcha's battle against her evil brother, Einn Galatin, after the latter wreak havoc on most of Commonwealth's territory.

With the brewing intergalactic war between Einn-led rebels and the weakening forces of Royal Star Force, Ia has had to make a choice between making her dream of bringing Commonwealth down or taking his brother down before he unleash his full force and be the god of the universe he dreams of ever since. Stars, planets, starjets, lasers, blades, and anger will all clash in this riveting sequel to Maura Milan's debut novel, Ignite the Stars. The question is who will stand the test of time? Will it be our beloved outlaw-turned-hero Ia Cõcha or her powerful evil sibling Einn.

Let's have a serious talk. I am still enraged with all these type of tropes that let you have unhappy endings. I mean, after building all that chemistry between Ia and Knives my past self reading the book 100 pages before the end was so sure that these two are deserving of a majestic sunset viewing in the end. But no, our beloved Blood wolf of the Skies made a huge sacrifice for the entire universe leaving our poor good-hearted Knives alone in the vast blanket of blackness. Anyway, that just made this story even greater and it showed on my pace as I finished this book in two days, reading in-between breaks and meetings.

On a lighter note, Eclipse the Skies showed Maura Milan's darker style of writing. Her flexibility greatly showed in the chapters of this book and how our beloved characters turned into something we love, hate, or worse, abhor.

Overall, this duology is an unexpected ride that I wholeheartedly enjoyed all along and I am more than happy to read more books featuring our esteemed intergalactic heroes.

RATING: 4stars

While Ignite the Stars had more light-hearted banter and enough teenage angst to satisfy a YA contemporary, Eclipse the Skies takes a darker turn. It dives deeper into the crucial themes of oppression, refugees, and government control established in the first book, and it never lets go.

The interesting aspect of Eclipse the Skies is that Ia and Brinn’s characters switch places thematically. Ia teams up with the Commonwealth to stop her brother and Brinn, after losing everything she knows and being hated by a galaxy’s worth of citizens, joins Einn in his dark conquest. This unexpected turn keeps the story on its toes, propelling the plot and the characters forward.

The story, however, at times feels rushed. Weeks would go by in the matter of paragraphs, leaving out opportunities for character development and growth. Characters make impulse decisions that never quite pan out. Some elements aren't fully explained, leaving an assortment of questions dangling in my mind. As I neared the end of the story, I worried there weren’t enough words, enough pages, enough chapters to complete the story. Since the series is a duology, the story did conclude, but a part of me wonders what would have happened if it had been expanded into a trilogy instead, giving another arc to the characters and their fight against Einn.

Overall, Eclipse the Skies has the same epic galaxy building, action-packed plot, and compelling characters as the first book. It wraps up the story in a clean swipe, offering both tragedy and hope to the conclusion. Fans of Ignite the Stars will not be disappointed.

This was a lot of fun as well as a good sci-fi novel, the characters were good and the worldbuilding was well done. I overall enjoyed reading it.

Eclipse the Skies follows Ia, Brinn, and Knives as they try to keep Ia's brother from destroying the universe in a thrilling conclusion to this duology. Exploring themes such as xenophobia, misogyny, familial trauma, and the military industrial complex this novel is timely in many ways. A thriller that keeps you to the edge of your seat, the ending is satisfying and a true tribute to a great cast of characters!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

How do I feel about this book? Good question. I'm not sure I have an answer. I really didn't like Brinn's storyline in this book and Ia's was so slow. And then there's that ending. I doubt there will be a third book after this. Everything seems pretty much wrapped up. But yeah, I did not enjoy this one nearly as much as I did the first book.

I saw that this book was in "Read Now" on Netgalley and rushed to download it. Except, I hadn't read the first book, despite having heard great things, so I checked it out from the library and read it all in one sitting. And I'm so glad I had the sequel on hand! Eclipse the Skies was a thrilling read from start to finish.

This book was a lot more technical than the first one, so there's a lot more world building. Milan brings constant action; there isn't any time for you to breathe because the characters are always in very stressful situations, especially in the second half. So much happens in such a short amount of time that I didn't really know how to process anything!

We also get to learn more about the mythology of this universe! It was definitely interesting to see more about the religious system and whatnot.

Ia is her lovably annoying self, and there's so much growth on her part. I loved reading about her, the consistently strong, arrogant character, at her emotional lowest and then overcoming it. We also get to know more of her past.

Knives's character development was also so good! I loved seeing him grow into his duties and stop rejecting his responsibilities. It was nice to see him open up more too.

I was honestly a bit annoyed by Brinn, but I could also understand her decisions. This book deals a lot with some morally gray areas, and it was interesting to see how each character dealt with everything.

Apparently the author said that she changed some things from the ARC in the finished edition, so I'm not quite sure what to expect. Eclipse the Skies was a fast-paced read, with very human characters. They have doubts and ambitions, and I loved reading about them. I think this might be the last book in this series, but I would love to read more from this author in this universe!

**This review will be up on my blog Magical Reads on September 3, 2019.**

I really enjoyed this book, but I missed the humor that was in IGNITE THE STARS. Is was such a spitfire in the first book, where as she looses some of that in this book (it makes 100% sense though).

ECLIPSE THE SKIES reminded me of season four of THE LEGEND OF KORRA: darker themes, less humor, and more of a focus on overcoming mental barriers rather than external enemies.

I enjoyed the new characters in this book, but had conflicted feelings about the ending.

Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: slurs (against aliens), anti-refugee protests, colonization, death, discrimination, profiling, war, violence, ptsd, suicidal thoughts, “heroes” suicide, burry your gays trope, depression, abusive sibling relationship, addiction

I really liked the first book of this series and was anticipating this second one. It did not disappoint! I enjoyed it but it is not a book that i would read again and again. I would still recommend everyone to read this.

Sci-fi is always a difficult genre for me to enjoy. I have to be in the mood whenever I read it, and even then my experience can be a bit rocky. Eclipse the Skies kept me entertained while still providing a strong storyline and developed characters. Character development is key in this book, and the story itself takes a backseat. The main focus, as I saw it, was how characters changed and reacted to the situations they were put in. Some of them change completely from who they were in the beginning. Difficult decisions, bonds formed and broken, and even some who are quite morally gray. While there was a hint of romance, it's very little and I'd just brush it off when reading. I found it didn't matter to me much in terms of the story, so I'm not sure how others would perceive the little teases. The ending itself is wonderful, and it definitely left a lasting impression for a moment. While the entire book didn't wow me, the ending more than makes up for what I felt was lacking.

Overall, this is a strong sequel, but would definitely be better for those who enjoy Sci-Fi more than I. Even if you have similar feelings on the genre like me, I think this would still be an entertaining read to pass the time.

Hello, I will be adding this review to my Instagram, Goodreads, and blog on August 30th, 2019. I will add links to each review when they are live. Thank you so much!

Title: Eclipse the Skies (Ignite the Stars #2)
Author: Maura Milan
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.





I would usually put the synopsis here but since this is a sequel I will keep it out so that it doesn't spoil the first book. You can click here if you would like to read it.





My Review:
Well guys, this author literally crushed my hopes and dreams and I refuse to believe that this is the end. Eclipse the Skies took me on a crazy ride of emotions and I don't know if I will ever be okay.

If you haven't read the first book then definitely skip over this review and go read it!

Ia is back along with all of the other characters we were introduced to as well as a couple new faces. Ia's personality definitely takes a backseat for a bit of the book as she becomes quite vulnerable. I liked to see this side of her because it shows that she isn't just a kickass character but a girl that also deals with not feeling good enough.

Brinn also did a 180 for most of the book. Sweet and by the books Brinn had a lot of character development and I was here for it! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed her a lot in the first book but it was also exciting to see this new change and how she became more of a morally grey character. Definitely one of my favorite character developments of all!

Knives is still Knives and although he does some pretty heroic stuff, he wasn't that big of a character in this book. Well, for me at least, he wasn't. I was okay with this because I enjoyed reading about Brinn more. Knives does go through quite a bit and even when he starts to feel like all hope is lost, he manages to find the inner strength to continue on.

There were a couple minor characters that I just fell for from the beginning, Goner and Vetty. Goner is another criminal just like Ia and although he is such, I couldn't help but find him to be quite interesting. He is pretty morally grey and I loved every plot that included him. Vetty was talked about in the first book but never made an appearance. As the ex of Ia, it seemed like he would make things pretty awkward but honestly it was just the opposite. They were still great friends and he would do anything for her. I loved it!

Just like in the first book, the romance is very minimal. A couple kisses, maybe an "I love you" but its not a major plot point and I was okay with this. Sometimes you just need more action and less romance. I mean I do anyways.

The plot was interesting and kept me engaged the whole way through. Just like in the first book, there is political talk and a civil war forming due to a group of people being different than the rest. This is a very important topic and I think the author always does a nice job of discussing it. As for the plot twists, there were so many! I didn't expect any of them and may have had a standard shock face permanently glued to my face because of them. The ending is gut-wrenching and honestly just thinking about it makes me sad. I need more and I need it now!

Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and actually liked it more than the first book. If you are a fan of YA sci-fi then definitely give this one a shot! I did and I loved every moment of it.

Note: This is the sequel and conclusion of IGNITE THE STARS, which you can find my glowing review here: http://www.happyindulgencebooks.com/2018/08/31/ignite-the-stars-review-ia-is-a-heroine-you-will-fall-in-love-with/. As such, this review will have (very) minor spoilers.

I utterly adored IGNITE THE STARS, and so I had high, highhhh expectations for this sequel. And while I enjoyed it wholeheartedly, I can’t help but also feel a bit… underwhelmed. The official rating I’m giving this is 3.5 stars because my appreciation level for it is 4+ stars, but the execution and my own heavy bias towards where the plot went leans towards a 3 stars. Of course, rounded to a 4 because of the dynamic writing, characters, and setting. But let’s take a closer look at what happened to make this conclusion, while action-packed and full of fun, bittersweet and underwhelming as well.

“‘There is goodness in this universe. There will always be light. We cannot let it die.’”

ECLIPSE THE SKIES starts almost immediately after book 1 left off. I confess, there were a lot of holes in my memories about IGNITE THE STARS and being thrust into the story with no recap left me a bit confused at first. But it didn’t take me long to get back in the game, where the constantly-turning plot keeps the readers on their toes. I enjoyed that aspect of IGNITE THE STARS, and ECLIPSE THE SKIES continued on it well. While the pacing was honestly a bit odd (several week jumps occurred throughout the story, making time go faster than it felt), the characters still went through a lot of emotional turmoil. IGNITE THE STARS was a book marked by chaos and violence, aggression and revolution. But ECLIPSE THE SKIES focuses on the aftermath of such themes: healing and growth, peace and compassion. And this focus extends towards the characters as well. Ia, one of my favorite heroines of all time, has to learn to look beyond her anger and at a greater purpose. Knives gets a reality check after realizing that he himself can take control of his life, rather than living under the shadow of his father and sister. And Brinn truly grows to understand the meaning of freedom in the face of the realization that she’s not alone. These three intersecting POV’s switched constantly, but due to the never-ending action, there was never a dull moment with either of them. They all go through tremendous character growth in general and I like them all for different reasons.

I can’t say much plot-wise without spoiling it for readers but let me just say, things go into realms that The Mind of Aila didn’t approve of. I appreciated what the author was trying to convey, and the beauty of certain decisions. But y’all… I was just unimpressed. So while there were key points of the plot that were important and necessary, I think the characters could have taken a different choice (COUGH Ia COUGH) that would have led to a more triumphant-feeling ending. But that’s all I’ll say about it.

Nothing is developed romance-wise, and it seems like Ia and Knives barely know of the other’s existence half the book. While each character went through a journey of PERSONAL re-discovery, I needed more interactions between them as a whole. Actually, Brinn talked to Knives for around 4 pages for the entire story. Ia and Brinn, whose friendship I was REALLY looking forward to since the previous book, didn’t progress much at all when they were together. The way their interactions felt throughout their own self-growth was clunky and not enough to justify their thoughts at the end. And while Ia and Knives had a developing relationship from book 1, I would say the same in regards to their lack of interactions. Which is fine, but Brinn deserved better. She really did. I guess constant action just didn’t make enough room for the dialogue to actually get somewhere, and most of the growth/decisions made were through the characters’ own introspection and advice from other characters. It never felt like they were a TEAM, ya know?

“First impressions were powerful, like threads whipping at the seeds of your memory, but she realized now that real friendships were made of a stronger type of cord.”

ECLIPSE THE SKIES has put me in a weird spot, where I REALLY want to like the book because the first book was so explosive, but I just remain disappointed with certain actions that led up to the ending. And while I sit on the ending and think on it more, I’m beginning to feel more satisfied, it still left me discontent after initially finishing the pages (plus, ALL THOSE LOOSE ENDS. But alas.). Fans of IGNITE THE STARS definitely need to pick this one up, if anything, to finish Ia’s story. But I would also recommend this duology to readers who place action at the forefront of stories, because it really is a wild ride from start to finish.

Trigger/Content Warnings: mild violence, alcohol usage (at least, there’s a substitution in the world), vaping, loss of loved ones, physical assault, mention of concentration camps, death, stoning

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Thank you Abrams and Netgalley for the review copy!