Review to come.

I love how easy it is to consume Megan Shepherd’s writing but there was a lull after the coal baths where I felt as though I would be put in a slump. There were things that almost didn’t make sense to me or felt random. I may have shed a tear or two towards the end.

Let me start off by saying I LOVED Grim Lovelies and was very excited for the sequel. However this book was very much a mixed bag, I'm giving this a 3-star review because some parts I really enjoyed and other parts just made me want to bang my head into a wall multiple times.

This book is divided up into 4 parts and these are my overall feelings towards each one:
Part 1: boring
Part 2: complete mess
Part 3: pretty fun
Part 4: edge of my seat exciting

Since most everything I liked about this book happened at the end it only makes sense to go into detail about the things I hated about the plot first.

-The first section was very boring to me and for the most part felt like the author was thinking "Well shoot I said Anouk was going to the Cottage at the end of the last book so now I have to make her go there before I can get on with what I actually want to do with this book." I really did not care about ANY of the new girls we met and when we got to the Coal Baths and the ones with that had some backstory given to them got burned alive I just went "Aww that's so sad...okay." While it's clear we were not supposed to get attached to any of the other girls it's pretty clear the author wanted us to feel something for the ones that died and honestly I just didn't because we were not given time to get to know them nor did we have any reason to care since they didn't impact the plot or any of our main characters' growth.

-I'll admit, I was excited during the last part of Part 1 when Anouk went through the Coal Baths to try and become a witch and nearly died (that sounds so wrong but I just mean I got excited for Part 2.) But that excitement quickly faded because the second section was just that horrendous. It was a complete nightmare to read: messing with how the world works, things being rushed and a love triangle that fanfiction writers could do better. The new Royals introduced here really didn't do anything besides give Anouk and her friends dirty looks the whole time. With the other Beasties, Cricket, Beau and Hunter Black, getting turned back into human again back-to-back it honestly did not feel earned but more like the auhor went "Shoot I need the rest of main cast from last time back already." There were also just so many instances when it felt like the author just needed to get the word count up on this book. Also what the heck was the point of making a thing about some random Royal having a thing for Luc and telling us he could get info out of her if literally NOTHING came out of that...

-Alright, onto the third section. Honestly, this was fun! There really wasn't a point in Sinjin at all or making a point of saying a hacker if he dies without doing...anything. There was also no point in the whole mummy chase sequence but it was fun so okay. I did love the part when *spoiler* Anouk finally accepted her roots as an owl, went back into the Coal Baths and became the witch she was meant to be. I was rooting for her then and I am happy with how things went for her.

-The final section was very enjoyable. Yeah it was kinda messy but I actually loved Part 4. I loved the action and was on the edge of my seat reading *spoilers here, skip to the character review section if you don't want spoilers* how everything went with saving London from the Noircure (although I'm still not 100% sure what the Noircure was or if I'm spelling it correctly.) The Snow Children freezing London, the progression of the world becoming more and more unstable as time went on, the fight sequence with possessed Hunter Black (though I do think someone else should've been the one that got possessed. Probably Cricket or Beau since we're more connected to them) and Anouk racing through the city on a motorcycle blasting rock music to drive the poisonous smoke away from everyone. It was all fun and enjoyable to read. The final confrontation with Rennar came out of nowhere but was not a total shock. I did see him being evil during the entire book (I mean he was the makn villain last time and you want me to believe in a few weeks/months he's suddenly changed and all good???) And while I did like the spell he created being used against him to turn him into a falcon at the end...the whole thing jusy, again, felt like the author needed to up that wors count. But regardless I did like how things ended for our characters (even if some were a bit sad.) I did like how some things were introduced for a hopeful future and so the author could be like "Okay I know this is supposed to be a 2-book series but I'm planting this here just in case it sells really well and the publisher wants a third book."

Now let's get into the characters, oh boy I would like to have this conversation.

Anouk, our protagonist: *all spoilers here but oh well* Until Part 4 she was EXTREMELY whiny. She kept going on and on and on and on about "Omg I lost my magic. I"m so useless right now. I messed up my chance at becoming a witch. I'm a Beastie, I should be more powerful than anyone here." And while I was genuinely happy when she finally became a witch, part of me was also happy because she can finally shut up about losing magic. But I will say when she finally became a witch she was back go being a cool character to be with like she was in the last book. I do also love how she finally came to terms and accepted her roots of being an owl that was transformed into a human. (Side note: all of her sarcastic comments throughout the book were hilarious.)

Beau, the true love interest: He really didn't do anything in this book. Even his job at being the love interest was taken over by anothet guy for most of the book and when we did get him and Anouk moments it was basically just make-out sessions. (Just a general complaint but I am so TIRED of YA books having the characters slobber all over each over when the world is literally crashing down around them)

Cricket, the sister figure: Loved her in the last book but again, not much to do in this one. Not much to comment on but I must say does this sis think "pulling out her knives" is a personality trait?

Luc, the caring brother figure: He really wasn't present at all in the last book so he did get a nice amount of spotlight on him in this one...yet didn't get much to do. He wasn't even present during the final battle and was just sent to check up on someone else because he just didn't have a role in the actual plan. I really like Luc as a character and wish he could've gotten more development and things to do.

Hunter Black, the moody brother figure: I like him but I can't remember him much in this book until the end when he got possessed. And really while the fight scenes with him being possessed were fun and exciting, *spoiler* it ultimately ended up just being a cheap way of dealing with the complications of him being in love with Viggo without having to really deal with it.

Viggo, the dumbass: That';s not me being mean, that's literally what he was intended to be. Kinda annoying but I didn't hate him. *spoiler* His death truly was an easy way of dealing with him being straight yet Hunter Black being in love with him though.

Rennar, the fake love interest: So I wasn't into the "lOvE tRiAnGlE" between him, Anouk and Beau because Anouk already said 5 billion times she chose Beau yet Rennar still had a crush on her (but she did find him hot at times so I guess that was the author TRYING to create a love triangle.) Alright so Rennar was mostly an arrogant ass with a soft side but I did enjoy him. I liked his style, I liked his personality, I liked his scenes, he was a cool character.

Petra, the best friend: I. Love. This. Bitch. Her attitude is just amazing and I loved how after she became a witch she knew she was 100% THAT bitch and wasn't gonna take shit from anyone, including the Royals. This sis is probably my favorite character and I'd totally read a spin-off or novella with her as the main character. One thing I will say is I didn't like how in the first half of the book the author literally could not write one scene with her without telling us 1-5 that she's transgender. Like, we know, we still love her and that shouldn't be her only character trait. Is it so hard so for authors to just treat their LGBT+ characters like normal humans the same way they do straight characters?

Jak: I really liked him! Honestly the Snow Chidren as a whole seem very interesting and *cool.*

Overall, some things I loved and some things I hated. I give it 3/5 stars.

"There's magic in stories, but not the kind made with tricks and whispers."

Oh how I absolutely ADORED this book! Thank you to Netgalley and HMH books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest reviews.

This book jumps right back into the magical world of the haute. Complex, enigmatic, and entralling are just some of the words I would use to describe the follow up book and conclusion of this stunning duology. While it is bittersweet that this is the end, I have a feeling that the re-read value on this is high with so much rich detail in the story. If you like the Caraval or The Shadow Game series I would highly recommend picking this up. With a world filled with magic, intrigue, romance, and betrayal how could you not!?

5 stars all the way and cheers to Megan Shepherd!!!

I thought this book was such a good continuation of the first. I think the gap of time threw me off at first but it turns around.

Lots of overcoming and rebirth and strength in this book. Anouk went through so much in this short period of time.

I was not expecting the twist near the end at all. Like, I wanted to believe that wouldn’t happen.

Interested to see what a third book could look like if the series continues.

It was a good book with my standard caveats that it’s a bit YA for me in The Who likes whom aspect (and possibly too predictable in that respect. I was good with it overall, but I want to point out a specific dislike in the finish. Basically, right after telling Rennar off for wanting to care for the world deeply in his own misguided fashion (ruling), Anouk basically turns around and tells her crew that they are the only ones who can save/rule the world! This after she thinks one of the reasons Rennar failed was his long durance... as if she and hers will do much better w/o putting failsafes in place. Maybe they will, but maybe they won’t and it just feels... aggravatingly like they’re being set up to fail and can’t see it.

“Do you know how stories come to be? There’s magic to stories, but not the kind made with tricks and whispers. Stories begin with one person and one idea. Fairytales don’t need spells to bring them into existence; they only need a dreamer with a good tale about people who fight for what they love and a world that hinges on their actions.”

I loved this world so much

Все още не мога да кажа как определям тази книга , но мога да кажа че динамиката и обратите говорят сами по себе си. За мен нямаше слаб момент в книгата. Трудно можех да предвидя какво ще се случи и с всяка страница се изненадвах все повече. Определено имаше твърде много емоции на финала , затова и не мога да се изкажа правилно , но определено книгата за мен беше невероятна.