I’ve been holding off on reviewing this one for a couple of days because I wasn’t sure if I was going to round my 4.5 stars up to five or not. Turns out I’m not—for now. This series and its premise make me nervous. I know that most YA goes in for happy endings, but there’s always the occasional tragical one, and I’m nervous this is one of those. So, I’m sort of holding out to see how the last two books go. If it goes well, I will absolutely bump this up to five stars.
I’m honestly not even sure how to talk about this book, both because it’s weird and because it’s the second book in a series, and in this case, it’s almost impossible to talk about without spoiling the first one. Blue takes a step back in this book as it becomes clear she’s not the main character, really, but part of an ensemble. This book is Ronan’s, with Adam coming in a close second. Gansey and Blue do have important moments, but it’s Ronan and Adam who experience the most changes. We get Ronan backstory, exploration of his dream powers, and a way forward for both him and Adam where they both feel more balanced and powerful.
The plot soooorrrt of kicks off with Mr. Gray coming to town searching for something called the Greywaren (where is the second ‘R’?? this is going to bother me) but it really, really does not go where you think it’s going to after his initial introduction of beating up Ronan’s brother, Declan. I was pleased and surprised by the direction the plot took, and it gave me confidence that the series will end well.
Getting to book three in September. Crossing fingers.
[4.5 stars]
Chipping Away at Mt. TBR, July 2022—Book 1/31
CBR BINGO: Holiday
Takes place on the 4th of July, and also I read it the 4th of July weekend. In a weird coincidence, three books in a row I read took place at least partly on the 4th. It freaked me out.