Why didn’t I know about Harper360’s blogger emails sooner? Seriously. I signed up for them after hearing about the hardback email and was so excited when the paperback one reached my inbox. Obviously I requested a few things but the one book I got was a sequel: Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett.
This is a book that has a gorgeous cover, an interesting sounding plot and is the conclusion in a duology. The first book is Onyx and Ivory which you can get in e-book, paperback and hardback now.
Shadow and Flame is set months after the events of the first book. The wilders have their own city and council but Kate has changed. This book starts you in the thick of it before skipping ahead and the losses she faces in between mean she’s harder and no longer so trusting. But she still wants to do good for the wilders.
I won’t lie; as fascinating as the world building in these books is I didn’t hugely care for this book. Mindee Arnett has this skill with writing worlds and characters. She weaves them in this way that allows you to hear their voices and clearly visualize but I still just…didn’t care. Which is a shame as I was really excited for this book.
But I’m also not having much luck with liking sequels recently.
This duology is interesting though and if you like series where you clearly see the effects of war on the characters then this is definitely one for you.
2/5 stars
Lace and Dagger Books 