This book is everything you want, everything you need, and everything you don’t dare hope it will be.

This book is a must read if you like: Super villains, found family, psychological thrillers, superpowers, and V.E. Schwab.

My Thoughts

First, if you haven’t read my full review of the first time I read the book, please check it out here. This is a continuation of that review.

Since I had already read the book, I was able to read it a little quicker, but this book is still a book that is best sipped like a beautiful mixed drink.

In her Podcast, No Write Way, Schwab stated:

Book one happened in a vacuum just for me. And I was like book three, this is thirteen years after book one, and I want it to be for us. And for us, I mean for me and my readers. And the readers are the reason I got to write books two and three. So unlike every other series where I’m like, if I have to choose between my readers and myself, it’s for me. This series, I’m like, it can be for both of us. In fact, my editor tried to get me to pear a little bit of it down, and I was like, this is for the readers. This is for the readers. You don’t understand. They will want this. They will want this, ’cause I want it too.

This book really seems like it was written as a love letter to book one, and to the fans. But in true Schwab fashion, it is so much more than that.

Every character you meet in this book, no matter how small is compelling. Every scene is heart wrenching. And every moment is like a bite of dark chocolate, warm and bittersweet knowing that the journey is almost at it’s end.

One of my favorite subplots (which I will not spoil here) really focuses on the value of taking a step back and looking at a situation analytically in a different light to help meet the end goal. Try. Harder.

The narrator gives a great performance, which is remarkably consistent with his first performance 13 years apart. As with the book, the performance not only was consistent with the original, but also grew with the series and was delivered beautifully.

As I said after the first time I read it, if you enjoyed the first two audiobooks you will not be disappointed with this one.

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