(Cover and blurb taken from Goodreads)
Official blurb:
Half-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this gripping sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.
After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?
But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it’s Arlo they’re going to use to do it.
When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she’s just been greatly misunderstood.
With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she’ll soon be faced with a choice that won’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.
My rating: five stars out of five
Wow, this one was epic! I ended up staring at the wall for a few hours afterward and waiting days to put my thoughts together enough to write this review.
First of all, I love how the plot came together. Genius.
And I loved that certain relationships (that shall remain unnamed for spoiler reasons) finally happened. Those made my heart happy even though I knew something was going to happen from the dark hints of the plot.
The addition of Riadne’s chapters really gave the story depth. If you know me, you know I love a good villain story. And her story certainly revealed the reason for her cruelty that I sympathized with, even while the other half of my brain screamed at me that she was going to do something awful by the end. It was also really cool to see more of Lethe’s complicated character, though he didn’t have his own chapters.
All of the characters in this book, and the first, A Dark and Hollow Star, are so real and well developed. I would hang out with Arlo and the main crew any day.
Lastly, there were so many important themes explored, such as LGBTQ+ identity, grief and loss, the importance of mental health—all so important. These situations pulled at my heartstrings, made me tear up, and gave me hope at the same time. I’m such a sucker for books that do that.
*Check trigger warnings before you read.
This is the second book in the series, and there will be more!
Disclaimer: I may receive commissions from this link. This did not influence my review.
