Red Tigress is enchanting continuation of the tale of Anastacya, “Ana”, and her journey to heal the afflictions of her stolen empire and those within herself. Amélie Wen Zhao’s writing style is cinematic and lush. Her writing continues to improve and mature. Don’t get me wrong, Blood Heir was wonderful, but Red Tigress is just absolutely delightful and impressive. The world building is phenomenal. The plot is adventure packed and kept me happily on the edge of my seat. The characters are dynamic, engaging, and exhibit tremendous growth. And Ramson, how could I love him even more?! Zhao is certainly a promising young author that delivers everything I look for in YA; a strong heroine, characters coming of age while learning to navigate a complex and often deeply flawed world, a compelling story, and hope. I look forward to reading more of her future work.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of Red Tigress! I loved every minute of it.

Red Tigress is the second book in the Blood Heir Trilogy by Amélie Wen Zhao. It is an intriguing story that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat with lots of action and a captivating storyline.

I'm always worried about the middle books of a trilogy because sometimes they can feel like a slog, a slow-moving bridge between books 1 and 3. This was definitely not the case with RED TIGRESS, the sequel to BLOOD HEIR. While the first 1/3 or so of the book was a little slow and it took me some time to remember all our major players (this could easily be solved by re-reading the first book and definitely won't be an issue for someone reading the series once it is complete) but once I was mentally back in this world, I was BACK IN IT. I'm still a complete sucker for this slow burn dynamic between Ana and Ramson and can't wait to see where book 3 takes this duo, and I also loved the new friendship/pairing of Linn and Kais, too.

The final 1/3 of the book really picks up in terms of action and Amélie Wen Zhao doesn't pull punches or shy away from violence/gore. She goes places, especially with our core characters, that some authors might back away from, which I appreciated. It makes these books feel slightly more mature for the YA genre.

At the end of book 2, I am still just as invested as I was during BLOOD HEIR and can't wait to see how this series gets wrapped up in book 3!

I didn't *love* Blood Heir, but I certainly admired its ambition and style. Red Tigress is a solid improvement with some great character patter between Ana and Ransom. I'll finish the trilogy when book 3 drops.

After the events of Blood Heir, Morganya is empress of Cyrilia, and Anastacya is trying to survive. Anastacya is part of the former royal family, and she is determined to reclaim the throne. Meanwhile, Morganya is moving to cement her rule and wipe out those who would stand in her way. Anastacya's only choice is to pair with Ramson one more time. To obtain the forces necessary to vanquish Morganya, they must travel across dangerous territory to Bregon, a land where neither of them knows what awaits. Blood lies at the end of the road, but in getting there, will new evil be uncovered, and is Anastacya capable of bringing revolution to her people after all?

The second installment of the Blood Heir Trilogy is here, and I thought it had some really great moments! The broken system and social conflict between Affinites and non-Affinites continues unabated as Anastacya seeks to reclaim what she feels is hers. She and Ramson are always great together, and it was much better with them reunited after the first part of the story. Bregon was an interesting new land to explore, and all of the primary characters undergo hardship before the climax. The ending is definitely a bit of a cliffhanger leading into the third book, as Anastacya, Ramson, and Linn all have important priorities before the next leg of their journey. I liked seeing Anastacya and Ramson become closer, and it'll be interesting to see where Amélie Wen Zhao takes them going forward. Red Tigress is an exciting, magical bridge of daring and adventure that is sure to thrill fans of Blood Heir, who I recommend it to.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I really enjoyed the first book and was really caught by the interesting magical system, as well as several of the characters, even the "evil" ones. There were times in the first book where I could tell it was a debut book, but overall, the book left me wanting more. That "sophomore" book can often be hit or misses for an author, especially if the first book is well-received. Expectations are often higher for the second book, and sometimes the author just can't seem to find their stride. This is absolutely not the case here, and if anything, this book had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more, more, more! This book was full of action, twists, tragic and painful moments, and pretty crazy manifestations of power. And yet it was the characters themselves that really had me hooked as they find out more about themselves as well as surprises in their allies. The diversity is wonderful, and I loved learning more about the different cultures of the various countries. I especially love how Kais has developed, especially considering his role in the first book. My only disappointment is what has happened with Ransom and Ana's relationship, but I suppose you have to allow further trials and tribulations to occur in the third book! I'm definitely thinking all their paths will diverge and then converge in what should be an exciting finale in the third book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*3.5 stars

I loved Blood Heir when I read it last year, and was so excited for the chance to read its sequel, Red Tigress, early as it was a highly anticipated release of mine! What I think stands out most in Amélie Wen Zhao's writing is her ability to create such an enveloping atmosphere in her novels. She writes beautifully and sets up scenes and settings so well. This holds true for Red Tigress, but unfortunately, other aspects of this sequel fell flat to me. While I enjoyed the book, it just didn't compel me in the same way Blood Heir did. While the characters were vibrant and played off each other so well in Blood Heir, it seemed to me that in Red Tigress, the characters and emotional dynamics were sacrificed for the sake of the plot. There was far less internal conflict in the characters--it seemed as if all of their thoughts were taken up by the political setup/plot-related things than real, emotional internal dialogue. Not to mention, the two main characters and love interests were hardly in any scenes together! So I was less invested in what was actually happening in the story because to me, it seemed like the emotional intensity for the characters just wasn't there this time around. The stakes seemed less personal. With all that being said, though, I do think this was a good sequel to Blood Heir and sets up for the last book in the trilogy well. I just hope there's more of an emphasis on the characters themselves and their relationships so that they're not lost in the plot.

A world torn in two. A corrupt monarch. Betrayal. Treacherous secrets. Unlikely alliances.
Red Tigress starts immediately where Blood Heir ends in this heart-pounding sequel filled with so much angst, action, a deep sea adventure and a quest to put an end to Morganya and the reign of terror she has inflicted.
We’re back with our favorite duo Ransom and Ana as they join forces yet again to find a new alliance in Bregon- where Ransom swore to never step foot again.
Ana longs to bring an end to Morganya’s reign and take a hold of the throne that wholly belongs to her while bringing balance to the Affinite and Non-affinite world
Ransom- cunning and clever as ever- has his own selfish agenda that could help or doom them all.
Meanwhile, we have a third POV of Linn who is trying to escape imprisonment when her sworn enemy Kaïs promises an alliance in exchange for his freedom
Linn swears to never trust him but must come to depend on him as she searches to be reunited with Ana again
Will their plan to bring balance and peace prevail? Or will their selfishness agendas be their downfall?

I really enjoyed this sequel! I thought it was super political yet I never felt bored or lost. I have enjoyed seeing Ana’s development and seeing her more confident with her power!
I also really enjoyed Linn’s POV and loved seeing her and Kaïs go from sworn enemies to tentative friends to fierce protectors 👏🏼
Finally Ramson also stole my heart this time around! You can really see how conflicted he is with his emotions and how much his past trauma has affected him.
The tender and vulnerable moments between him and Ana are my FAVORITE! Finally, the storyline was magnificent! I did not expect this to go where it went but I enjoyed it- it gave me X-men vibes! Mutant and proud! Lol
The epilogue was KILLER and I can’t wait to see where this story goes!

It is often hard to rate a second novel in a trilogy without giving any spoilers. However, in this case I can confidently say that the second book is much stronger than the first one in my opinion. Book 1 reads as a quintessential YA - a girl with a special ability somehow finds herself at odds with those in power and struggles to find her own place in the world. In book 2, we get to know many more characters that we only caught a glimpse of in book 1. The world is also expanding - we learn about the countries beyond Cyrilia and even travel to Bregon. The plot is every engaging and I really enjoyed this book. After reading book 1, I was not sure I'd continue on, but book 2 was so much better that I have really high hopes for the finale. My one criticism would be about the main character. She seems very two dimensional. The others - particularly Linn and Kais - are much more interesting.
4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC. I absolutely adored Blood Heir but I just could not get into Red Tigress at all. There was the band of strong characters I admired and the plot was decent but it just somehow fell flat for me. It didn't bring out the emotions in me that Blood Heir did. Perhaps I was annoyed with all the political involvement as well. Red Tigress felt more political, less heart wrenching and less exciting than what I was hoping for. I think readers are going to enjoy this sequel, it just wasn't for me!

I really enjoyed this sequel to Blood Heir. I loved Blood Heir and was very excited to continue reading this story. If you enjoy epic fantasy than this is perfect for you!

Since being a fan of the first book and hoping it would get published regardless of the fiasco, I had high hopes for this sequel. I had thoughts about where this book could go when it came to the plot but I was completely wrong and this was nothing like I had imagined. There were good things about it but also parts I just didn’t care for.

One difference between the first book and this one is that there are multiple point-of-views. If you know me, I enjoy when this happens because we get more from the other characters. Ramson is one character that I was dying to know more about. He was just so interesting, and sometimes morally grey, that I couldn’t help needing to know everything about him. Another character is Linn and of course, Ana.

Another difference, whether it’s good or bad depends on the reader, is that this one just felt more plot driven and the characters lacked the pizazz they had in book one. At times I felt things for them but also not when it came to other instances. There is a lot of wow factor with plot twists that involve them but it’s hard to really be engaged by them when you just can’t connect with the characters. I also feel like Ramson became a different person and this could be due to his backstory and things coming to the surface but I just wasn’t entirely a fan of it.

There are also times where plot development, or even character development, happens off the page and I wish more would have been at surface level than just alluding to things until a reveal. It would have really helped with the villain development. Regardless, the villains were still interesting especially one in particular.

There were hints of a relationship starting between Ramson and Ana by the end of the first book and I figured there would be nice moments between them to break up everything else. I was wrong about that. The book doesn’t really focus on any relationships and it just seems like there is more turmoil because the characters can’t seem to communicate properly. I was hoping as I read further things would pick up but it never did and it makes me wonder if it ever will and if it will even be believable in the next book.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It may seem like I didn’t like this book but the positive is that there is a lot of action since this is more plot-driven. I can’t say it was fully my thing but I do appreciate the pacing of the book even if it felt overwhelming at times. I can’t say there was ever a dull moment. It wasn’t what I thought it would be since I figured her aunt/the empress would appear more but instead we get a side journey that gives us more background into Ramson and where he comes from. It does tie into the empress though.

*Spoilers / Spoilers / Spoilers*
When it came to Ramson, there was a part where Ana was supposed to meet him but she never shows due to issues of trying to be murdered. There were no parts of him frantically searching for her or even seeming to care because the next chapter or two is from a different perspective.

Ana also loses her abilities by the end which I didn’t like. Who knows if she will get them back or what challenges will come with it in the next book. It’s just frustrating that they were taken away so easily.

*End of Spoilers / End of Spoilers*
Overall, it was good but I think it suffered from the sequel syndrome. I am still curious what will happen next as there is a lot of moving parts still at play and so I will have to wait and see how it all works out in book three. I will definitely go in with lower standards though.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. WHAT A JOURNEY.

This book truly took you on a high-stakes fantasy adventure. I felt so swept away in this world and with these characters, and I did not want it to end. I was glued to this book from the very start, the plot is very heavy and moves at a good pace. There were a perfect amount of epic fantasy and action sequences along with incredibly vulnerable and raw moments that just hit you in the gut.

There were a few things I didn’t like though. The biggest part was Ana losing her powers, I know it’s only the second book and I think this will be meaningful to her character development... but this better not be another Alina situation. I’m hoping in the last book she will reclaim them.
Ana and Ramson... they didn’t hit me as hard this book?? Like I feel like I’m not as connected to them, or rooting for them the way I was in book one?? That ONE kissing scene just wasn’t enough for me, unfortunately. And the whole unspoken love but never communicating it and just leaving the ending with them on bad terms? Hated that.
YURI. No. no. No. I refuse to believe he will be the antagonist in the next book, as much as it intrigues me, it breaks my damn heart because of why his character is taking this turn. As much as I understand and sympathize with him for feeling the way he does... I hope Ana can help him find the light again.

But let’s discuss my actual favorites of this book... Linn and Kaïs. Literal perfection. The yin and yang to one another. I absolutely love them. I was so scared for a minute when we find out Kaïs is working against them. But after finding out who his mother is and where his intentions were... I’m so glad they all go to speak on it. I’m so excited to see him and Linn continue to grow together and hopefully watch their relationship blossom into something beautiful!

Overall the premise is set for the final installment and I’m very fascinated, excited, and scared to see where Amelie takes it.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

So I had really liked the last one book. it's a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 only because to took so long to get going.
But this one felt a little to me like it suffered from second book syndrome for nearly 75% of it until FINALLY, finally it picked up. And then the plot took off like a cannon. But all those ties took a while to meet up.

I like all the characters in this series. They all are flawed people, just trying to do what's best in different ways, fighting against this large web of corruption. We get the full run up Ana, Ramson, Linn, Kais are all showing up to face portions of their past that have haunted them. And make decisions and how to salvage this future.
They each have to face the darkest portions of themselves and their pasts.

Morganya is worse than what she replaces, punishing all who will not bow to her, cutting people down in the street with her cruel power, round up affinities who will not ally with her- no one is safe. Ana has to reconcile the fact that not every one of her former allies still want a version of her on the throne. That maybe it's time for the monarchy to truly end. To examine herself, and stop an oncoming disaster before it is too late, and Morganya becomes unstoppable.

The finale in this one is insane. It's not so much a cliffhanger just a lot going on right before it hits that calm before the storm moment. I'm curious to see where each of our cast ends up next.

Red Tigress was a great sequel!

I loved the change of scenery, the added characters, and the way things didn’t quite work out the way anyone thought it would. A lot of YA fantasies can all sort of follow a formula that leaves me wondering how anyone can believe some teenager can really “save the world” when they don’t even understand the big picture. I love the setbacks that Ana has, the challenges she faces, and her commitment to trying to figure out what the right answer is for her people.

I loved the side characters, too, and enjoyed the betrayals, magic, and secrets. This is such a great fantasy series and I’m still so shocked I hadn’t heard of it until recently.

I definitely recommend this one, especially to fans of darker YA fantasy such as the Grisha books and Wicked Saints.

I loved "Blood Heir"- book one of the Blood Heir series. Jumping back into this world, where "Blood Heir" leaves off was a (mostly) fun experience. This story won't make much sense without reading the first book, so I highly recommend reading this after "Blood Heir."

I really enjoyed the first third of the book- Ana's team has grown to an easy-to-read group of 4 people. The additions to her team were interesting and well-placed. They did act like dramatic, young-adult characters though and at times, I really just wanted to shake them a bit and yell "grow up!!"-- but I suppose that is often be a characteristic of young-adult fiction ;).

Around the second half of the book, I had a difficult time staying interested in the plot and the setting. I found the new setting of the story to be difficult to enjoy- the antagonist reminded me a lot of the fire kingdom from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I think that the characters were almost over-characterized, so their actions and behaviors were over-the-top and unbelievable. (If I have to see the word "maniac" or "maniacal" ONE more time!.. ugh).

And yet, I enjoy this trilogy so far. While it does at times fall into the "sophomore slump" of many series/trilogies, I think that there is a lot to work with to make a great ending with the finale of the trilogy.

3.5 stars. Book ends in a cliffhanger, but I think it's a bearable one ;).

Thank you Netgalley and and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Blood Heir and was very, very surprised to be granted access to a copy of its sequel, Red Tigress by NetGalley and the publisher, so a big, huge thanks to them for letting me read it!

Anyway, Morganya has taken over Cyrilia and things have changed up for Affinites – now they are protected by Morganya’s regime, but unfortunately, are still exploited by both Morganya and others.

Rumors start to swirl that Morganya is after an artifact that can bestow Affinities on ordinary people. Ana looks for her friend Yuri, who has started an organization against Morganya called the Red Cloaks, because she needs allies if she’s going to take the throne back from Morganya. Unfortunately, Yuri and his organization is strictly against monarchies of any sort, and his envoy not only turns her down flat, but ends up stabbing her and leaving her for dead.

Meanwhile, Ramson wants to settle an old score, and has also heard that the trafficking of Affinites has not ended. He and Ana do end up reuniting and eventually travel to his home country of Bregon, where the vast majority of the story takes place.

We meet some new characters – Kais, the yaeger responsible for May’s fate, happens to be the son of Samaira, the Affinite who can see the future. He is a very interesting, and conflicted character who Ana is resistant to at first, for obvious and understandable reasons. But she comes around, and he helps her master her affinity. Before, like many Cyrliians, her use of her Affinity was wild and unrefined (unlike the Kemeirans, Linn’s people, who learn to wield their Affinities in childhood).

Then there’s Ramson’s half-sister Sorsha, the “legitimate” sibling, and has been used in experiments by her father, of which has basically driven her mad with vengeance. You feel a tinge of sympathy for her, given what she’s been put through by her father who never showed her any actual love, but not too much…after all, she could have chosen a different path, and didn’t.

That’s an important part of the second half of the novel – even when it seems that you do not have choices, (Ana even goes so far as to believe that choices are a luxury), you do. Kais, the yaeger, is faced with a choice. So does Ramson, so does Linn, so did the head scholar that offered Ana some valuable information after initially hesitating to do so. But Sorsha chooses wrong, sadly.

I also must make a brief mention of the King of Bregon, a young boy who finds himself surrounded by people, including Ramson’s father the admiral, who will do anything for power. He’s actually a pretty smart kid, though.

There are some twists and turns and betrayals that while won’t be terribly surprising, are interesting anyway. We also see the departure of two antagonists we originally met in the first novel, neatly wrapping up those storylines, but of course, there’s still the threat in the form of crazy Sorsha and her alliance with Morganya.

I have to mention this next bit, and I consider it to be a big spoiler, so here’s a fair warning.

Anyway, in the final battle, long after Ana and her crew discover what the artifact is and what it does and who created it, Sorsha uses it to drain Ana of her affinity. The artifact, created by Alaric Kerlan, is a bracelet made of searock. It robs the Affinite of their power and bestows it upon the wielder of the artifact. Sorsha has been driven mad by her father’s experiments on her, of which were to help him use the artifact for his own gains, so Sorsha herself is basically chock-full of random Affinities. She’s the only one to survive being bestowed an Affinity.

Sadly, the story ends with Ana still lacking her affinity, but of course, she realizes that she is not defined by it, just as she was not defined by her royal title.

Once Ana secures an alliance with Bregon, everybody splits up for various reasons and at least one alliance is shattered, leaving us waiting for the final chapter. This alliance, of course, is the one with Yuri and his Red Cloaks, who, in the end, decide that even Ana has to go, because the people ought to rule themselves. This is actually brought up near the beginning of the story, but, unfortunately, is kind of dropped once Ana and the others travel to Bregon to find the artifact and win an alliance with the kingdom. I hope it will become a significant part of the third and final installment, Crimson Reign. Will Ana get her Affinity back? Will she regain the throne? Will she even want to in the end? We won’t know until spring of 2022.

It’s no surprise that I liked this one too, and spring of next year feels a long way away, especially since this book hasn’t been released yet. It is due to be released on March 2, 2021.

Once again, I’d like to thank Delacorte Press and NetGalley for letting me read this novel. I cannot wait to read the final installment.

I absolutely loved this sequel. It felt so good to be back in this world.

Red Tigress takes place weeks after the events in Blood Heir. Morganya has claimed the throne, under the guise of hunting down non-affinites accused of Affinite trafficking, when really her regime has nothing to do with justice. Ana and Ramson make way to Goldwater Port where Ana hopes to gain support from Yuri and the Redcloaks... but is met with resistance and disappointment. Linn is a pretty prominent character in this installment, and things get interesting when she must work with Kais, who is very much of a mystery at first. Is he a friend or foe? Zhao really knows how to make you wary of this character.

I thought this was much more magically and politically charged than Blood Heir. From the political machinations in Bregon, a powerful artifact that can create affinites, Ana learning more about her magic and growing into herself, to exploring Ramson's dynamic with his sister Sorsha and father both intriguing and chilling.. So much unfolded in Bregon and there are plenty of twists, betrayals and bloody action. It was tightly paced and never a dull moment for me. I also adored all the banter between Ana and Ramson, their moments of vulnerability and not wholly dependent on each other. Sigh, I wasn't a fan of the ending though.

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel a lot. It had action, adventure, magic, intrigue, friendship and angst. I love the world Zhao created and I"m definitely looking forward to seeing how she'll wrap this up. Hopefully a HEA, or more Ana and Ramson moments please.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc.

This wasn’t as good as I was hoping. I read an arc of Blood Heir before it essentially got cancelled and (re)published. I really enjoyed it. I don’t know if I didn’t love Red Tigress because of the time in between or what. I love Ana, but I can do without everyone else. I hated the ending. I just face-palmed the few last chapters. So, overall, this book was okay to me. I’m not sure if I still want the book or even the third.

*SPOILERS* I was so happy when Ana was working on her powers; they’ve always enticed me. So I was fairly devastated when she lost them. I had hoped Sorcha stabbed her with something to try and overflow her with powers. I definitely didn’t want her powers siphoned. I’m also annoyed with Ramson. He’s just like his father. Ana would never ask him to give up his missions and quest, yet he can’t even admit to her his feelings. Yuri is also annoying wanting to fight Ana. Yes the whole fight over the crown lead to some of the disaster, but if Ana was Empress this stuff wouldn’t happen. He should know that. Linn has always been ehh for me. I get why she wants to go home, but the best way to prevent Morgayna from wreaking havoc is to team up with Ana.

REVIEW:

Red Tigress heightens the stakes set in Blood Heir as Ana faces off new enemies and allies, all while forging a blood-torn path to an explosive third installment.

Normally I would give a spiel about how I haven't read Blood Heir in two years, but there's so much I want to say about this sequel, I'm just going to jump in!

Let's start with a quick refresher to the world. A loose retelling of Anastasia, we follow an exiled princess who can control people's blood. She reluctantly teams up with a slippery con artist to reclaim her throne. Throw in an evil monarch plus a band of underground rebels, and you've got the basic setup of the story.

Some quick terms: “Affinites” are people born with an affinity for a certain power. Our protagonist, Ana, is the outlawed princess of Cyrillia and a rare blood affinite. Other affinites can control aspects like strength, fire, and snow. “Yaegers” are individuals who can manipulate and even cancel out the powers of Affinites.

Now, onto the actual review.

The Characters

After the tumultuous ending of Blood Heir, Ana has been assigned this new monicker of the "Red Tigress". She's desperate to win back her throne and save her people from being slaughtered. I love Ana because, while her moral compass generally points north, she isn't a perfect protagonist. She's fierce and sometimes volatile in a way often only shown in male characters, which I really appreciated. Amélie doesn't idealize her character or her actions, instead leaving it up to the reader to decide if Ana is making the best decisions for her people.

Onto Ramson. Our clever con artist and selfish survivalist (or so we're told). Ramson struggles a lot with his identity in this book, torn between tying up the loose ends of his past and finding a new place at Ana's side. I feel like we lost some of Ramson's mystery in this sequel, and instead were told a lot about his feelings. While he didn't seem quite as fleshed out in this book, I still love him.

By FAR one of my favorite aspects of this book was Linn. Wind affinite, brutal survivor, and Ana's best friend. I loved her in the first book and that love tripled in Red Tigress. I was equally invested in her chapters as Ana's. Linn has a lot of trauma she needs to unpack - from being trafficked into another country, to losing her family and freedom. She's tough without losing her heart, and I was constantly impressed with how she manages to think with a logical mind in the most nail-biting situations. Her friendship and loyalty to Ana pulled at my heart. I was also totally sold on her burgeoning relationship with a certain yaeger...

Oh Kais. Kais came out of nowhere and snatched all of my attention. He's a yaeger who appears briefly in Blood Heir as an antagonist. In this book, he winds up crossing paths with Linn. I'll say no more. In some ways he's your typical cold emotionally-cut-off character, but his honesty and surprisingly empathetic nature snagged me.

The Plot

This book dives deep when it comes to politics. We have Ana attempting to regain her throne and save her people, but then Amélie throws that whole mission into question. See, the rebellion leaders in this series push for democracy and believe the monarchy needs to end. Most YA fantasies assume the protagonist would make a good ruler, but Zhao gives her civilians a voice for nuanced opinions. It was incredibly refreshing. I like that Ana's ascendance to the throne is not seen as the sole solution to the kingdom's turmoil, and that rebel groups oppose her rule. Despite his little screen time, I'm spotlighting one of the leaders, Seyin, because my feelings for him were all over the place. I suspect this thorny rebel will come into play a lot in the final installment.

To wrap up, the ending definitely hooked me. I’m dying to know how the villains will play out in the third book, because there is such a juggling cast of allies and enemies. And some of them I feel really conflicted about! Not just because of who they are, but because of what they stand for. Gah I need that third book!

Overall, this second book kept me on my toes and was a worthy successor.

Trigger Warnings: blood, cutting, nonconsensual drug use, drowning, murder, attempted murder, use of knives, kidnapping, human trafficking.

*All quotes are taken from an uncorrected advance copy of the book and are liable to change upon publication.