Jessika Fleck

1) NOT A STANDALONE. I'm sick of novels that could be standalones stretched out to two or more - Fleck could have cut a lot of stuff in Veda's life before she was discovered by the Night. I knew this was going to happen, though, when everyone was getting ready for the final battle and there were ~20 pages left that it wouldn't be all wrapped up though.

2) The love triangle, while cliche, is very well done. Veda's attraction towards both Nico and Dorian is well-written and believable, and her feelings towards both of them are rationalized and realistic (I love that she says that she doesn't want to replace Nico with Dorian - they're different people and she feels differently towards them even if she feels the same feelings about them).

3) I actually loved Veda's struggle with being the lunalette (which is the dumbest name - why not just "lunette"?). It's very believable that she would feel doubt about such a big destiny and living up to everyone's expectations. And I loved that the lunalette was a fabrication created by the Sindaco - every revolution needs a figurehead, and if you don't have one, create one.… (més)

I couldn't put it down, which is a good sign I suppose, so I've upped my rating based on that alone! I had listened to the first book, and due to the lack of an audio for this one, I read it. I enjoyed the flicking between character views from above and below ground. Plenty of action and a limited amount of romance (thankfully). The romance centres on a love triangle. The series is satisfyingly resolved in this, the second, book. A light read, but some interesting food for thought in terms of politics and ethics. How far would the characters go to fulfil their own agendas and who can be trusted - all themes that kept the story moving. It would have been interesting to delve into this more deeply.… (més)

Veda is one of the Basso, a second class citizen on the island of Bellona. On the island, society worships the Light, and often makes human sacrifices to appease the Light. The High Regent blames the Night for any societal ill, including the recent disappearance of Basso citizens.

Although I enjoyed the pacing and characters of this book, I thought the world building left a lot to be desired. There were too many plot holes throughout. For example, they have landmines and explosives, but then fight with bows and spears. The High Regent starts a campaign against the Night after the first war, when Veda's parents were killed. That was probably 15 or 16 years ago. It didn't make a lot of sense that the fear and terror against the night would have built so quickly. At a minimum, the older residents would have known better. I hope the author can fix some of these plot holes in future books. Her writing style and characters were very compelling and I would like to read more from her.… (més)