Alison Rose's Reviews > Ravage the Dark

While I loved the first book in this duology and had the very rare experience of not thinking a young adult fantasy series would've been better as a standalone, I still ended up a little disappointed with this one and wondering if maybe it should've been a standalone after all.

The characters were still great and I really enjoyed their interactions and how they worked together, each using their own skills and knowledge to help with their aims. I also liked how the author examines the concept of revenge, not painting it as either all good or all bad, nor those who desire it as evil or sick. If someone royally fucks you over, wanting them to suffer for it may not be morally right, but it's an understandable impulse.

But this was just so slow at times, and felt much longer than it actually is. I kept thinking, "Okay, good Lord, get on with it already!" Some of the villains in this one took on too much of a mustache-twirling vibe, and there were a lot of scenes with the main characters explaining things to each other that were clearly meant to explain those things to the reader, and it often felt clunky. Plus, a whole lot of shit could have been avoided in here if people would just use their words.

It's not bad exactly, but definitely not as strong as Scavenge the Stars. But I'd still be interested in more of this author's work, and would recommend this duology if you're into a gender-swapped revenge story, and who isn't?