Fantasy and the fight against evil take the pole position in this sequel, leaving the romance plot a distant second.
Two women discover the extent of their newfound powers.
Sachielle, the daughter of a king, grew up betrothed to the dragon god, Ash. In the first book of this series, Consort of Fire (2023), Sachi and her handmaiden, Zanya, attempted to assassinate Ash, but instead the three fell in love. Sachi and Zanya discovered that they’re not regular human women but are themselves gods. Sachi is the goddess of creation, which manifests in dreams, while Zanya is the goddess of destruction, which is known as the endless void. Now Sachi and Zanya struggle to understand and control their new powers. Zanya’s warrior skills are underdeveloped; she has heightened strength and reflexes and can transport herself through shadows, but she’s vulnerable to her emotions. Zanya forgets all her training if she thinks Sachi or Ash is under attack. Sachi learns that, in the dreamscape, she can travel through time and space, talking to people both living and dead. On one of Sachi’s trips through the dreamscape, she’s captured by Ash’s archnemesis, his brother, Sorin, the Betrayer. Thousands of years ago, a battle between Ash and Sorin almost destroyed the Earth. Sorin retreated and created his own empire, a vicious mirror of Ash’s, including a twisted court of evil demigods. While trapped in Sorin’s realm, Sachi is determined to learn the source of Sorin’s malevolent power while Ash and Zanya work to attack his stronghold from the outside. While the first book in the series developed the romance among the three lovers, this installment prioritizes a tale of war. Sachi, Zanya, and other women lead the fight, with Ash deferring to their skills and judgment as they marshal the forces needed to defeat Sorin in battle. It’s satisfying to see strong women at the forefront of the story, but the book could also serve as a cautionary tale about the difficulties of balancing plot and character development in a romantasy.
Fantasy and the fight against evil take the pole position in this sequel, leaving the romance plot a distant second.Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781662513206
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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