Review Detail

In which Esmer and Erebus take on the demons, with big power couple energy and not a lot of time to adapt to their new role as Shadow Weavers or the abrasive opinions of the other Weavers. While the first half takes a slower pace, from there on it’s non-stop. E&E both wrestle with self-doubt, but even as the odds stack against them, they never doubt one another (that’s right, no miscommunications here! Just plenty of love and sweetness and hm-yeah-maybe-we’re-all-going-to-die-yikes).

I quite enjoyed the first book for its dreamy atmosphere, however here I didn’t feel as immersed in the writing and was distracted by tonal shifts mid scene, or explanations of the subtext. I was more aware of romance-isms (he smelled of something, something, and something distinctly masculine, etc). It’s also a bold choice to open with a prologue that reveals things about Mithras that the characters only learn in the final act.

Some things I loved (and would've loved more of):
- Contrast of dreams vs reality and how people thrive on both
- Erebus’s best bros
- Castle renovations. No really, this was raised as a relevant relational point but not brought full circle.
- Discussions of leadership

Definitely recommend reading the duology back to back.