Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 02/02/2024
Published by: Magpie
ISBN: 9780008588250
Cover:
This gorgeous design brilliantly captures the enchanting atmosphere and key aspects of the story. It also has strong ties to the previous design in this series, although there is once again little reflecting the fantasy elements and war theme.
Writing:
Like the previous book, beautiful, enchanting prose and rich descriptions bring this sequel to life. However, there is lots of telling and little showing, especially for the world-building and characters. Besides this, the underdeveloped concepts and glaring holes in the magic system only made the world-building fall flat for me.
do we live by our past, or do we live by what is to come? Do we choose to waste time looking behind to things that have already happened and cannot be changed, or do we keep our sight forward on what we can see?
Storyline:
A leisurely recount of previous events and the current struggles of the main characters set the stage for the unfolding war between the gods, which takes over the storyline. Even with regular bursts of action and exploration of the theme of war, this failed to keep my attention because it lacked the compelling character arcs that made me love Divine Rivals and had several convenient moments.
Main character(s):
Iris and Roman burrowed deeper into my heart with their brave and caring actions in this book. Sadly, they also seemed really passive and experienced little growth, so I struggled to remain invested in their journeys.
I don’t think we know what we’re made of until the worst moment possible happens. Then we must decide who we truly are and what is most important to us.
Secondary characters:
Except for Deka and Enva, who seemed poorly developed despite their major roles, I loved how the secondary characters added depth and heart-warming moments to the story.
Romance:
The little focus given to the beautiful connection between Iris and Roman was disappointing as I could not get enough of their love, support and admiration for each other (both in their letters and in person). This sequel also introduces another cute connection between secondary characters, but this was not particularly memorable.
Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.
Narration & Audio:
Rebecca Norfolk and Alex Wingfield gave an amazing performance once again! Their vocal versatility brilliantly enriches the dual points of view and captures the mystical atmosphere of the story.
Simply put, ‘Ruthless Vows’ nicely tied up the loose ends from Divine Rivals, but it was not as captivating! A similar historical fantasy to pick up if you loved this is These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong.
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