Girish Kumar

For some reason I had deluded myself into thinking this book might be good. Given the track record of the crescent city novels, I should've known that I would be disappointed.

Anyway. Here we are. Another exceedingly disappointing addition to the series. Made even more disappointing burner fav that she squandered what cousins been an amazing crossover opportunity.

On top of that, SJM rehashes her old classic tropes (you'll know when you read the book). It's as if she's not learned anything new in the last few years and hasn't found anything new to write about.


I liked the first 20-25% only because we got to see some of my favourite characters from the ACOTAR novels. But that is all that this book has going for it. Maybe one more thing but that's a spoiler.

Disappointing.

I think it is generally hard to write a very good sequel. Especially for a book that is quite inventive, funny and a very good mystery all in one. So, I was wary of this sequel and I was more critical with this book while I read it.

Suffice to say, I absolutely loved this one.

Ernest Cunningham is back. He lays out the rules. He hands us all the clues. And is more than happy for us to solve it with him.

Ernest - I mean Benjamin Stevenson - has given us a lovely new narrative that builds on the previous story, with a fresh new mystery and new characters. He utilises the classic mystery tropes and, just as the previous one, puts his own twist on them. There are enough red herrings to go around, but one thing is for sure, Stevenson provides us with all the clues necessary to solve the case.

(Let me say, I did think I solved the case, but as he was doing the explaining, I realised I had gotten it all wrong and had called for the red herrings.)

I'm a sucker for a story within a story narrative. So, there was no doubt I would this Asian inspired fantasy.

It's a short book, so I won't say much. But it's such a lovely story done really well, with unique characters.

There are so many things going on in this book that it'll take me a while to sit down and decipher all of it. A really mesmerising book, and I loved it to the very end.
The characters were really rich, the prose was poetic, and the atmosphere was magical.

I don't usually like YA Fantasy; in fact, I actively avoid anything relating to that particular genre, because, as interesting as the premise may be, it will, inevitably, dive much deeper into the relationships, and how the girl is stuck in a love triangle, or quadrangle or whatever. No doubt, several paragraphs will be spent in describing how steamy the kisses were, how conjoined their bodies were during intercourse, how inseparable they were, how much they loved each other, and how devastated they were when the other died. Then again, my view is very prejudicial. I just don't like the writing.
But man, oh, man this book. The premise was so interesting that I just had to pick it up to read, and as I was reading I was desperately hoping that, with every page I turned, with every new chapter I begun, the character wouldn't fall in love with the nearest hot male character and then ruin the book. I was even willing to risk the love stuff for this book.
The premise is super interesting: there are three sisters, which are split up and given to different “clans” who specialize in certain abilities - the Poisoners, the Naturalists, and the Elementalists. These girls will grow up and learn their respective abilities, and when the time comes, something called Beltane, they will try and kill the other sister and take the throne. The time after the Belatane festival in which one of the sisters attacks one of the others is called the Ascension Year. And whichever sister gets to the throne, the respective clan will, therefore, reap the benefits.
There's nothing particularly brilliant about the prose, but it nonetheless flows seamlessly. We are introduced to each of the three sisters and their closest folk, and we read a lot of rumination on the interesting magic system, and ways and means of killing the other sister through out the book.
The best part? There is only one tiny bit where a sex scene is described in detail, and that is one of the very very few intimate scenes in the novel.
The story is really interesting; I love the world in which they live; I love the magic system; I love the concept that the novel explored. It is really quite unique; I don't think I've ever come across any such novel.
This, though, ends on a cliffhanger that'll leave you wanting the next book immediately. I just cannot wait till later this year for the sequel. ARGH!