chloe gallivan

I know this series gets a lot of back and forth, but I truly loved it. I just recently got back into reading and this is the first series i’ve been hooked into needing to know what happens next. I am a slow burn lover, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the first book, but I really loved this one. I feel like I’ve gotten to know the characters, and even though there’s a lot of “filler” I feel like it allows me to get to know the characters at a steady pace. It feels more realistic as Callie continues to struggle with who she was and who she is becoming. I like that the book takes its time through the journey to Atlantia, because not only do I love the tension building and the suspense, but I feel like it also allows us to learn with poppy about the world we are journeying into while separating from the one we were introduced to in the first book. I’m late to this series but I can’t wait to continue on the journey.

I did really like the book and got connected to it quickly, but I struggled with the similarities to Hunger Games a lot and it made it feel unoriginal even though I loved the book overall. However, after doing some digging and seeing that the book was heavily inspired by ACOTAR and Hunger Games, I respected the choices a bit more. Once the book started to part from the heavy influence, I was left so excited to see the book grow into its own world. The author stated on TikTok it’s like a the baby of ACOTAR and Hunger Games, and I could tell as the book came to end it was starting to grow on its own, which I’m so excited for. I definitely reccommend.

The book overall is approachable and the concept is easy to understand, but I thought the plot moved really fast, and overall lost my interest completely. I am someone who likes more of a slow burn, where things are dragged out just a little bit more, and this book is more straight to the point and doesn’t really build tension. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between mendax and callie and I also felt it was a little cliche and often had moments that we’ve already read. however, the world and idea created is interesting, the book just wasn’t for me.