Castle Ever Dark continues Ivy Rune’s story from Secrets Ever Green. Ivy finds herself in the Count’s castle, working as an assistant to Dr. Ply. Her position is precarious, because Dr. Ply doesn’t reveal much about his work and Ivy must earn his trust to receive more information. As she discovers other people in the castle, she is unsure of who to trust. There are secrets around every corner, and Ivy is determined to find out more about her father and what the Count and Dr. Ply have planned for the Transposers in the castle, including her best friend York.

I really enjoyed the continued mystery of Ivy’s story in book two of The Everlight Series. Knightly does a great job with the new characters in the Castle, and makes you unsure of who can be trusted.

Some of the questions from book one are answered, and Knightly sets up new questions that I’m looking forward to being revealed in the next book. Poor Ivy never seems to catch a break, but we finally see some good things happening for her in Castle Ever Dark and I felt so relieved for her character.

The atmosphere of the Castle is done really well. I liked how Ivy discovered different parts of it, and the descriptions of the settings in the Castle give you a feeling of how good and evil co-exists in the same place, among the different characters. Cora and Dr. Ply are really intriguing opposites in the story.

It was also nice to have some chapters from the Count’s POV, so we could get more of a first-hand look at his character. I am interested to find out more about him and the White Forest.

Castle Ever Dark is a fantastic read, if you enjoy YA based fantasy and magic. There is also a great gothic feel to the book, and a lot of mystery to keep the story interesting.

4 STAR READ FOR ME. I LIKED THIS BOOK BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING IN IT. THE CHARACTERS WERE GOOD BUT NOT GREAT.

This was an interesting book. If you liked belladonna I think you will like this book. The romance was a cute slow burn. But I was not a huge fan of the female main character. She was not relatable and she needed a lot of character development.

"Castle Ever Dark" is a fast-paced read with a slow burn romance. The worldbuilding is interesting but the characters feel a bit two-dimensional and the female protagonist is unfortunately a Mary Sue. At one point a villain literally twists his mustache while monologuing, which made him go from sinister to comical.

I wish the author gave our main lady more flaws or depth than her just not being an Arborist. She's beautiful but doesn't see it, decently educated but doesn't believe in herself, she's universally adored by anyone not an antagonist, and is "rare" as the cherry to top it all. She's sweet, but she needs a bit more spice.

I really wanted to like this book, and I hope the characters gain more development as the series continues. Thank you for letting me read it and give an honest review.