3/5⭐️ to Ravage the Dark by Tara Sim. Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada and Little Brown Young Readers for an egalley to review!
I went into this duology not knowing much, but a bit excited because I’d seen the books being talked about, and it had something to do with ships. Unfortunately I didn’t love these books, which I’m sad about. I think it’s probably that I didn’t become particularly attached to our characters, romance, or the main plot of the story. Please don’t let this scare you away from reading the series! Needless to say, I thought it was a pretty original & creative story! We got a wonderful, diverse main group of characters who have to work together in order to stop a sort of epidemic and the rotten people behind it. We get a pretty good backstory of the city we’re in and our two MCs. I got quite a bit of emotion across the page, particularly when it came to family, or when the characters are in a dire or exciting situation. The pacing of the book worked well for the story, and I thought it really made sense how everything worked out for the plot. I appreciated the character growth of our main characters that happens as a result of the events of the book, and how they could learn from each other. There were also some pretty funny scenes when our rag tag group of characters are coming up with & acting out their different plans to catch and bring justice to the instigator of the epidemic.

If you’ve read the synopsis and it intrigues you, definitely check this out - particularly the audiobook!

“The rest of the casino was an unsightly blur in comparison to that smile.”
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The book is a good conclusion of this beautiful duology. Honestly I have found the end a bit rushed and I would have liked to know more about politics in and outside Moray . There has been great hints about conspiracies and power struggles that it would have been interesting to actually follow them. Nonetheless the story is very gripping with a huge plot twist that I didn’t see coming. But what really drove me to this series is the relationship between Cayo and Amaya. Her betrayal had made him distance himself but in this book they both understand that life is so unfair and full of sorrow sometimes that you must take joy whenever you can and that forgiveness is very important. Amaya remains a great heroine. In my review of the first book I said she reminded me of Mia Corvere and this is still true. She needs to fight alone against a world that has taken everything from her and a family that has lied and abandoned her despite her unconditional love. I think it takes a lot of courage to love again after what she has suffered and this is why I admire her that much.

I have received an early copy through NetGalley.