Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: Roseanna A. Brown
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: November 2nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
Karina lost everything after a violent coup left her without her kingdom or her throne. Now the most wanted person in Sonande, her only hope of reclaiming what is rightfully hers lies in a divine power hidden in the long-lost city of her ancestors.
Meanwhile, the resurrection of Karina’s sister has spiraled the world into chaos, with disaster after disaster threatening the hard-won peace Malik has found as Farid’s apprentice. When they discover that Karina herself is the key to restoring balance, Malik must use his magic to lure her back to their side. But how do you regain the trust of someone you once tried to kill?
As the fabric holding Sonande together begins to tear, Malik and Karina once again find themselves torn between their duties and their desires. And when the fate of everything hangs on a single, horrifying choice, they each must decide what they value most—a power that could transform the world, or a love that could transform their lives.
The highly-anticipated second—and final—book in the immersive fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore that began with the New York Times bestselling A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, from author Roseanne A. Brown.
GOOD CONCLUSION.
As someone continually hesitant of duology conclusions I am happy to say, this one worked well for me! Maybe it was the audio book (because it was stellar), but hey, whatever works.
I really enjoyed these two main characters, Malik and Karina. Both had so much growth and I thought truly found themselves by the end. I like how they have those purely raw, human moments where I felt connected to the deep emotions being felt.
This plot took some interesting turns that at first took me a while to get into. Once I got my footing on where things were going I realized I did like the change. Following a villain twisted by his idea of love brought about plenty of action and death-defying moments.
I liked that the conclusion was more hopeful than happily ever after. There’s still a lot of rebuilding to do and things to secure. I didn’t feel that I was missing anything from the end and can easily close this book and know it was a good one.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: some strong
- Romance: one closed door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depictions of anxiety and panic attacks, kidnapping, torture
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