I’m so sorry to say this was disappointing. The pacing felt very monotonous to me (*everything* was *always* at stake, so the whole fell flat, especially since Maia’s transformation was so slow), the telling overpowered the showing even more than in the first book, and some things were just way too convenient or didn’t make sense at all.

- What do you mean, Maia can intuitively know so much about what to do or how to use magic, and yet act so stupid at crucial times throughout the story?
- What do you mean, you still respect the emperor after all he’s done to you and his bride, and you’re willing to give your life for his rule to continue?
- What do you mean, Edan has lived for centuries and has still failed to learn how to swim? Is that why she keeps referring to him as a boy rather than an ancient enchanter? You don’t need magic school, my guy; some swimming lessons will do. Don’t be a liability when you’re physically perfectly able.
- What do you mean, Maia gets to choose the ending to her own story and Lord Xina can’t? The gods sure have favourites, it seems. “This girl made dresses from my children? (!) Let her be resurrected at once and give her a Christmas bonus!” Sarnai deserved better; she was the only one with common sense in this book and the bravery of her lover went without any recognition. Yes, she ran away, but she would have just been a puppet to two rivalling power-hungry old windbags.

*end of rant*

(I still think the red cover design is magnificent though, and the author’s most recent novel I read (Her Radiant Curse) was a lot better, so I respect the growth and will be reading more of her work, because I do like the world building.)

I almost DNF’d this book. I’m so glad I came back to it and gave it a second chance. It was a bit slow in the beginning and that’s where  I struggled, but as the story progressed it picked up, and in the end, it was worth the read. Lim really builds such a beautiful setting for this duology, and Edan is a top 10 male lead, for sure.

3.5⭐ CW: violence, death 

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim is book 2 of the Blood of Stars duology. I've been having a really hard time with sequels in duologies lately. It's not that I don't like them, it's more that they don't grab me in the same way as the first book did. I can't even really put my finger on why. 

We catch up with Maia after the events in book one. Maia struggles with her transition into becoming a demon along with using the powers of Amana's dresses. It definitely felt like Maia is surrounded by enemies: the emperor, who is cold and cruel and lets his pride take priority; lady Sarnai, who is resentful at being sold to the emperor for peace; the Shansen, a warlord trying to wrest the throne and the country from the current emperor who also has a demon on his side; the demon that cursed her; and the demon she is becoming. 

Most of the book is Maia fighting the changes within her. An internal battle of dark demon magic versus the light of Amana's magic. Maia finds herself trying to hang on to the pieces of herself as they fade away the more she succumbs to the demon magic. I do wish we had gotten more from Lady Sarnai, because she is a fascinating character. A warrior princess, whom Maia believes is the only one who can bring peace. Unlike book one, this book did focus more on violence and fighting rather than on the tailoring and clothing, although some of that was still present. 

For some reason, I just didn't feel as invested in the characters, and I thought the ending was a little too Deus Ex Machina for my taste. I did enjoy this author's writing, so I will probably read her other books as well. At least I finished another series! 

“I will stay by your side until the fire in the sun grows cold and the light in the moon is no more. Until time blots out the stars."

3 ⭐️

Elizabeth Lim’s storytelling will never not have me in awe. Beautiful settings, the magic and romance are all just gorgeous. While I enjoyed the high stakes of this book a lot, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as Spin the Dawn or Six Crimson Cranes (which I LOVED the references to in this one). 

There was a scene towards the end that had me crying in the bath so theres that. 

TWs: War themes, detailed depiction of violence and gore, death of family members

Elizabeth Lim (by her own admission according to the author's notes) really struggles with sequels. I found an already confusing magic system becoming even less well explained, and a poorly placed plot that did little to support even it's main character's arc. I do appreciate seeing the Japanese folklore interwoven into the story, as well as Lim's focus on female leaders, but it fails to come together in a satisfying way. 

Nicht so gut, wie der erste Teil, aber trotzdem spannend. Die Stimmung des Buches war sehr deprimierend und hoffnungslos, daher kein Buch, was man unbedingt gerne liest... Trotzdem war es sehr gut geschrieben, spannend und ein relativ guter Abschluss der Reihe.