Why did more happen in the last 20 pages than the previous 600?!

That being said, this book was an excellent follow up to the first. While the pacing was slower and some parts could have been condensed, I really enjoyed my reading experience overall.

I definitely think this volume suffered from being released so soon after the first, however, as the language was over-explanatory and clunky at several points throughout. There were more grammatical errors as well. It simply did not flow quite as well as the first.

The characters and plot got me through it, though. I personally connect to Violet in so many ways, to the point that I feel called out sometimes when she has to face her own challenges and insecurities. I absolutely loved the relationship between Violet and Xaden in this book, as they both learned and grew so much, and both let that improve their communication and relationship.

The war plot and overarching story was intriguing, but somewhat messy in this book. I was consistently surprised by the plot twists (other than one huge unfortunate spoiler that I happened to get on social media).

While I recognize that the writing and plot elements were lacking in some ways, I still got attached to the characters, and the story still gave me visceral reactions. For my personal reading experience, I will rate this book 4 stars, though I can see why others may choose a more critical rating.