I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t read the first book in this series. I read this as part of a book tour and as a fan of fantasy I knew that this book was right up my alley.
Though I hadn’t read the first book and therefore missed a lot of the set-up – much of the exposition in this one helped to clarify what had occurred before and therefore it was incredibly easy to get into the book, which I read in two sittings, one during lunch at the office and the other after work.
I am admittedly not incredibly keen on the dual POV technique, which I often find confusing, on this occasion, it worked really well, not pulling me out of the story or causing any confusion with the characters. This is a testament to the writing because it can be a distracting tool if not done well and can serve to frustrate rather than contribute to the building of a story.
Dante, Diablo, Vinny and Viper were enjoyable, the story was engaging and it was really fast-paced. Everything in the story was clearly leading to a single event with a satisfying and exciting conclusion. The machinations that went into the set-up were enjoyable and well-established by the characters and their interactions.
The epilogue, to me, felt like a well-rounded ending, bringing closure to the characters, though there is to be a third novel in the series.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves novels by authors such as Sarah J Maas and Laura Thalassa, definitely intended for a more mature audience. This is more NA than YA in nature.
