what to expect:
- multiple povs
- urban fantasy
- 🇿🇦 protagonists
- epistolary elements
- such good anxiety rep I FELT SO SEEN
- old (and ridiculously rich) magical families
- all the kpop and kdrama references to entertain the fans 😁

I finally got around to reading the second and final book in the Bound by Fire series and it was wonderful as I expected. Book 2 continues the stories of Zin and Jen, best friends who now live on opposite sides of the world. After all the excitement and discoveries of book 1, the girls are ready to live happily ever after with their new partners.... but fate has other plans (lol that sounds unnecessarily dramatic, but it's true 😂😳).

This second book deviates from the original format of book 1 which was told primarily through email exchanges. While the emails remain, the authors have expanded their writing style in this book to include character povs that add an extra dimension to the story. As Zin's powers advance, her life is thrown into disarray by the mystery of her mother's disappearance and the (magical) family drama that ensues. Meanwhile, Jen battles with her mental health, as well as an unexpected development that brings forth even more chaotic magic into her world. The coinciding and intertwining adventures of the two girls had me cheering them on till the very end and, while I did prefer the original epistolary format of book 1, it was a great delight to read the authors work in a different style!

My favourite part of this book was the exploration of Generalised Anxiety Disorder and other mental health issues, especially those shown through the character of Jen. I could deeply resonate with her feelings of insecurity, relationship anxiety and negative thought spiralling. The relatability almost had me in tears.

Super excited to see what Eleanor and Faziela do next! I will always be an eager fan 🥰