Published by: Harper Collins, February 28th 2017
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fae
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Harper Collins, via Edelweiss
Now that Lilywhite Abernathy is the heir to the Hidden Lands, everything is about to change.
The Queen of Blood and Rage wants Lily to help broker peace with the human world, but Lily knows that harmony won’t come easily. After decades of waging war on the humans, who cost the queen her firstborn daughter, the fae are struggling to accept Lily, a half-human monarch. And the humans, while no match against faery affinities, will hardly agree to the queen’s détente without resistance.
Lily wants to be a fair ruler but fears having to abandon the life she’s known to do so. Now that she and Creed are more than just fellow Black Diamonds—operatives for the queen—her priorities have shifted. But her worries about assuming the throne are derailed when it becomes clear that someone—or some fae—is masterminding violent attacks to discourage peace.
In this gripping follow-up to Melissa Marr’s lush Seven Black Diamonds, Lily and her friends are forced to reckon with the truth of their own parentage and to protect one of their own, no matter what—or who—comes between them.
Now that Lilywhite Abernathy is the heir to the Hidden Lands, everything is about to change.
The Queen of Blood and Rage wants Lily to help broker peace with the human world, but Lily knows that harmony won’t come easily. After decades of waging war on the humans, who cost the queen her firstborn daughter, the fae are struggling to accept Lily, a half-human monarch. And the humans, while no match against faery affinities, will hardly agree to the queen’s détente without resistance.
Lily wants to be a fair ruler but fears having to abandon the life she’s known to do so. Now that she and Creed are more than just fellow Black Diamonds—operatives for the queen—her priorities have shifted. But her worries about assuming the throne are derailed when it becomes clear that someone—or some fae—is masterminding violent attacks to discourage peace.
In this gripping follow-up to Melissa Marr’s lush Seven Black Diamonds, Lily and her friends are forced to reckon with the truth of their own parentage and to protect one of their own, no matter what—or who—comes between them.
I liked this, but I wouldn't go much further than liked. There were elements I loved - Creed and Lily, Roan and Will, seeing more of Erik, and Lily's dad - but the rest was flat compared to the dark, exciting Seven Black Diamonds.
I'm left with so many unanswered questions. What happened to the fae world, and did Lily ever become queen? Was Eilidh meant to be queen, since the land chose her? What the hell HAPPENED to Eilidh? Did she and Torquil ever get to be together after that ending? Did Vi give Erik a chance? Did Zephyr ever heal from losing Alkamy? What were the consequences of Will coming out to the press? Was it Nacton doing the terrorist attacks or Eilidh???
It was an ending that didn't feel at all like an ending. It feels ... unfinished, like there's still more story to tell. I'm a bit frustrated I didn't get to see Creed and Lily ruling the fae world, or the peace settling between them and humans. I'm invested in this world and these characters, and I'd really appreciate an epilogue or follow up of some kind to give me a satisfying conclusion to their stories.
As always the faerie lore and details of the writing and world were stunning, but the story itself let me down.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world ★★★★☆
Writing ★★★☆☆
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