(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Having read the first book in this trilogy, I was glad to have the opportunity to read the other two.
It was good to be able to see both Lily and Silas’ adventures running separately. The crypt with the bodies of Lily’s ancestors was particularly creepy to read about. While the bodies there made sense by the end of this book, they were still really creepy… even though I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the women.
Although Jonquil didn’t seem very sympathetic in the first book, I thought he had a lot more depth to him in this book… even though I think his story should have been told more as a flashback than in italics as he explained things to Silas.
I would have liked to see more of Jonquil’s relationship with Thomas. I couldn’t help feeling a lot of sympathy for the family who were forced to guard the gardens. I felt that Lily’s strength of character came through especially well towards the end.
I don’t think Silas was as observant as he could have been, but it was good to see him connecting emotionally with Mirabella. I liked seeing more of Cassandra in this book, too, and having the opportunity to learn more about her history.
There’s a lot about the gardens and the house that’s downright disturbing. Being able to see more of the mythos of the garden was cool… and I liked being able to see a glimpse of the labyrinth. The smiling ladies are creepy… but I found my interest piqued by Villion. There were a lot of elements of mystery about him that made him an intriguing character.
There is an air of mystery through this second book, even though a couple of the twists are quite clear. It was good to see more of the mist people, even despite what was revealed when the Dusk Riders were there.
I would have liked to see more of the history of some of those trapped in the gardens. Some of the monsters have good parts to them… but a lot of them come across as pure evil, which means they’re not well-rounded like the more interesting villains.
I have the final book in the trilogy on my Kindle and I intend to read it in the near future.
Ink of Blood 