The stunning sequel to an epic an unique story!!

Plot: 4/5
The pacing and structure of tis plot was really well crafted, the way the story progressed made a lot of sense. However I felt that there were multiple instances of just fixing mistakes for things they didn't understand. Which obviously would happen, but it felt a little repetitive at moments.

Characters: 4/5
I adore Ahilya so much and I loved seeing her in moral conflicts and how she worked within her personal code of ethics. She is such a strong character and goes through so much in this book, I am in awe of her. Iravan makes me so mad because his character flaws are so persistent but I know that's intentional but I cannot stand that man.
I would have loved to see more from the side characters, especially Druv and Nayla because they've both such incredible characters with interesting morals and goals.

Writing: 5/5
Rao has such an enjoyable and emotional writing style. She draws out the tense moments to make the reader feel the same tension as the characters. She balances the two very complex POVs really well. I am incredibly excited for more books from her!

Other: 4/5
The magic and science that Rao created in this book is beyond genius... which means its a bit beyond my understanding lol... in the latter half of this book I started feeling really lost about what was happening with trajection and everything. Even the final battle, I was like.. what just happened?

Tropes to note: queer normative society, bisexual mcm, married protagonists

TW for misarrange

Total: 4/5

I have just finished book 1 and immediately jumped into this sequel. Before you do though, please check the trigger warnings concerning pregnancy.
I found The Surviving Sky very unique, combining sci-fi and magic, and raising many philosophical questions about human nature, but also humans vs nature and societal change.
This book 2 (of a trilogy) is doing many things right, having a much tighter storytelling and making me care more about the two MCs at the heart of the narrative. Their relationship went from very toxic to very shippable, but also containing lots of tragedy.
A weak point for me though is the feeling that the author was a bit too in love with the magic system depicted. It is complex to a point where I couldn't understand fully, while 'trajection' also being very important for the story. I kept wishing to get a better grip on it, as due to its uniqueness I think I would have gained a lot by better explanations.

The audiobook was of high quality and the narrators were great in bringing across the different POVs.

So all in all it was a 4/5 stars for me, but I'm hoping book 3 will give me more emotional hooks.

Thank you @netgalley and RB Media Verlag for the ALC!

#TheUnrelentingEarth #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read this before its publication.

The Surviving Sky was one of, if not my first ARC that I was approved for and read through when I found NetGalley.

One year later and I was able to continue the experience with the second book of the Rages series!

I’m still intrigued and invested in the magic system—even when I may not entirely understand it—and overall world building with its mystic and expansive lore. And even though a year has passed since I read book one, I did feel like I was just picking up exactly where I left off and the story just continued quite fluidly for me.

I am still left with so many questions and I’m sure if they get answered I’ll end up having more, which may not necessarily be a bad thing as I’ve grown to learn you’ll always be left wanting more from books you enjoy!