I loved the first book and I am so glad a read the conclusion to this duology. This one was not as gripping or as exhilarating as the first book but still a very enjoyable read.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Where I quite enjoyed the first book, I have to admit this one didn't live up to the expectations. The main issue I had was with the storyline, which I didn't really find engaging. On the plus side, I found Kelly's writing style very easy to get into, which made it easy for me to continue.

Not my personal taste, but I know my teenage students will devour this story! Definitely one to keep in my classroom library!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for allowing me to access this book in digital form.***

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the conclusion to this duology as much as the first book. This confirms my thoughts that Gravemaidens would have made a strong standalone novel, as the high stakes and intrigue that made it such a page-turner were unfortunately absent in Warmaidens. Instead, the events of this book seemed disjointed as Kammani and her allies jumped from one part of their haphazard plan to the next in an attempt to dethrone the usurper king and replace him with the rightful heir. The dialogue throughout came off like a stilted rehashing of the exposition, and oftentimes the story dragged and was difficult to get through.

I had received an eARC copy of this book when the book was first being released for helping the author promote and spread the word about the Wamadiens release. I will come back and add my review when I finish the book.

This book is fierce and will make you want to burn down the patriarchy.

"The Boatman was chasing us, his cavernous mouth open and ready to swallow us whole."

Warmaidens picks up nine months after the events of Gravemaidens, recapping everything pretty well from the first book you need and filling in the blanks. The only downside of this is that we miss Kammani falling for [redacted], the book starts out with the couple happily together. Kammani was so against marriage in the first book and it was weird to have that development essentially happen off-page, but there are definitely still some struggles with her commitment issues to sort out in this book.

Speaking of Kammani's issues, she is an excellent representation of never talking to anyone about her concerns and just pushing people away because she knows best. A lot of the conflict could be resolved by the characters simply speaking to one another, but this trope is done so well because the characterization of Kammani is done well. Her development through the course of the book is beautifully done and perfect for a teenage audience.

"[W]e were facing nearly insurmountable problems, and it appeared that everything I did, every single move I made, only made things worse."

I love how Kammani tries to do her best but her youthful naivete leads her to not listen to others. I've said it before but Coon has nailed the teenage voice so well in this duology, and it is refreshing in a world with countless books having massive societal issues resolved by teenagers without any outside help. Warmaidens highlights the need of a support system, in learning from others, and the importance of found family.

"I didn't want to be owned by anyone. Not even the man I loved with everything inside of me."

At its core, the Gravemaidens duology is about a woman's right to choose what they do with their lives and their freedoms. Kammani's resistance to being married directly correlates with the laws which effectively turns her into property (reminiscent of Victorian laws). Warmaidens pushes this further by questioning the firm gender roles set by society. One thing I particularly appreciate is that Kammani still recognizes her own privilege and her internal struggle is very much tied to her trying to reconcile that.

"'Strength is not always loud. Sometimes we are strongest when we are quiet.'"

This book is fiercely feminist and centers on the support and love of found family. Overall, I enjoyed the conclusion to the Gravemaidens duology and recommend it wholeheartedly to teen fantasy readers particularly.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. This did not affect my opinions or contents of my review. I have since purchased a finished copy.

I’m about a million and a half years late to posting this ARC but wanted to make sure that I came back to write it. Unfortunately, this book was more disappointing than what I was wishing for. After finishing the book it definitely felt like the author split what was one book into two books. Overall it felt unnecessary and a little repetitive. It could have been better overall and could have had a better ending as well. Middle-of-the-road review on this for me!

I absolutely loved book one and book two did not disappoint. I can't wait to see what else Kelly Coon comes up with.

Did Not Read

I had requested this book before reading the first one, purely based on cover and description. I was unable to finish the first one and so did not manage to get through this one either.

Everything that I loved about the first book has disappeared.

The first book left us on quite the cliffhanger. All through the second book I kept looking for those high stake vibes that Gravemaiden’s had and just couldn’t find it. The story came across a bit stilted with a few themes repeated several times throughout the story.
While I realize Kammani had some serious development from the first book she was nearly unrecognizable for me. The relationship with her sister however was nicely explored and the pair had some really lovely moments of writing.
Not quite the wrap up that I had been hoping for but most people will likely be quite satisfied with the ending of this duology.

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this book and this duology. I loved the friendships, the stories, the relationships. I really loved it. I totally recommend the series.

This was a great ending to the duology and though I wished and expected it to be more fast paced it did not disappoint . Wonderful world building , dark themes which I like and truly wonderful characters. This is a great read that I highly recommend you give it a chance.

This was a really great conclusion to Gravemaidens and did the duology justice! I think I may have enjoyed this sequel even more than the first.

I absolutely loved Warmaidens. It was such a great sequel to Gravemaidens. I listened to the audiobook once again and Bahni Turpin does such an amazing job as the narrator. She really captures the story.
I liked Laylani so much more in this sequel. She annoyed me in the first book. Her character really grew throughout this one. I appreciated all the new characters that we get introduced to and found myself connecting to them easily. I love Kumani and Dugon. They are my favorite! The plot of this book was fast paced and so fun to follow. The battle scenes were amazing and written so well. My favorite were the Curi. They were totally badA in every scene they were in.
I really loved this book and enjoy Coon’s writing. The end was perfection.

An excellent sequel to an already wonderful series. The author sure knows how to keep the story moving and Kammani as selfless and interesting heroine.

Hits hard and fast where Gravemaidens was the slow build up. Warmaidens was brutal and wrapped up a great duology. Character development could still use a little work but it improved from book one.

I was really excited to read this book. I loved the first one but this one was so similar to the first one I was left wondering why they. Needed a second book. Sure we got a more detailed resolution to the main conflict bur the build up to that show down was slow and meandering. I loved the ending and all the heas that were addressed. I just feel we could have gotten there faster

This was a really great sequel to Gravemaidens. Not a lot of sequels live up to the first book. I'm not gonna lie I didnt enjoy the first book as much as this one. I always felt like so much was going on that it was kinda hard to keep up with sometimes. I really love the characters in this duology and the development of them in this conclusion. I think this was a great conclusion for this story.

Enjoyed first book greatly so was excited to get eARC of Warmaidens but didn’t find it as enjoyable as first book. Although, I loved Dagan’s ray of sunshine personality and Kammani’s strength.