Of Blood & Secrets (Forsaken By The Gods #2) Review

 

Mood:

I could not contain my excitement when I received the ARC of this book. I loved the first book in this series and was eagerly waiting for this one. This is my sixth book by the author, and I have loved each and every one of them. I particularly love her writing, as it paints a very clear picture in my mind and immerses me in the scene.

I cannot review this without mentioning some details from book 1, which might be considered minor spoilers.

Summary:

We pick up right where we left off in book one. When Thaeia regains her consciousness, she finds that the whole world is hunting her, and she is now in danger. She is also a danger to her gang. Unexpectedly, when Keir volunteers to protect her and takes her to House Allopson, she cannot help but accept his offer. With this close proximity to each other, they cannot help but give into the attraction that has been bubbling between them from the start. While hiding, Thaeia is also trying to find out more about her powers and her identity.
Who is she? And why are these people after her?

Meanwhile, her friends Nor and Halee and the rest of the gang are trying their best to find out who is after Thaeia while also trying to save the rest of the world from going into war with each other.

Writing, plot, and magic system: 

It is written so beautifully that every scene paints a clear picture in your mind and keeps you immersed in the story. The writing had the feeling of a thread that successfully stitched the story together. The book offers multiple POVs from Keir, Thaeia, and Nor's POVs, which is really enjoyable and helps in understanding the whole plot. I felt this book suffered from the middle book syndrome, which made the pacing very slow and kind of static in the middle part of the book, and all the secrets and twists were revealed at the end.

The magic system developed in this series is fantastic. It is distinctive, and the author has given much depth and logic to this magic system. We get to see a few new powers, and the old ones are explained in a lot more detail. We also see other houses descriptions and customs.

If anyone wants to read this book, they will have to read book 1 Of Spirits and Hope first. And this book, like the first book, also ends on a cliffhanger, which is more terrifying than Book 1's cliffhanger.

Characters:

"You're high maintenance, aren't you?"
Maybe I am, but Valsan doesn't seem to mind. I think he likes managing me.

I loved the whole gang, With Val, Thaeia, and Halee as my favorites. I adored how each character received consideration and growth. Halee's character development was my favorite throughout. I adore the innocence the author gave her and how it shines through in every interaction she develops along the way.

Relationships and Spice:

This woman... She wakes up alone in a strange tent. She stitches herself up and gets herself dressed... all after barely escaping death. I think I'm in love.

"Keir, are you for real? How can you be real? I think I've somehow conjured you to life from one of my romance novels."

Keir and Thaeia's romance and spice are front and center in this book. Their chemistry was palpable from book one, and I loved the moment when they finally gave in. Every relationship is extremely carefully constructed in this book. My favorite part was the layers that are added to Nor and Val's relationship and Nor and Thaeia's, which give the characters and the bonds more depth.

The spice is tastefully handled in all the couples, which is very important to me.

Recommendation:

I recommend this whole series to fantasy readers who love a perfect blend of spice, plot, magic, and romance in their novels.

ARC:

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.