(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
This was another series where I read the first book and then jumped at the chance when I was offered the opportunity to read the second.
I really didn’t want to like Lucino in this book, but I found myself growing more and more intrigued by him as the book went on. I liked him and Jeslyn together and I found it easy to get behind their gradually growing relationship.
I’m still not a fan of the multi first-person POVs. I did get somewhat confused with who was narrating at times. I do think I would have found it much easier to read if the whole book had been in third person.
I did find most of the characters to be well-written and well-rounded, even though I really didn’t like the love triangle there was. I was also really intrigued by Lucy’s character. I would have liked to see a bit more of her… and get some glimpses into her motivations, similar to how Lucino’s thoughts and mechanisms were shown.
I liked the fact that there was a bit more detail in this book, both about the human world and about the world Lucino came from. I did lose a lot of sympathy towards his people, though, considering what they planned for the humans.
I really liked Haddo in this book and I would have liked to see more of her kind and how she was there. It was also interesting to see more of the Order, particularly given that they clearly had a bad reputation in the previous book. I don’t really understand much of their motivations, though, and there was really only one member of the Order that I really liked.
I did find this book a really entertaining, easy, quick read. The characters were engaging and interesting and I liked learning about the world. I would definitely be interested in reading the third book in this series at some point in the future, when it comes out. I think you do need to read the first book to understand what’s happening in this one… but I do recommend this as a good, well-written young adult fantasy series.
Ink of Blood 