i really really loved the first book, but this follow-up was so messy it was almost incoherent. way too many characters were introduced or brought back, and so many others have several different names the author will refer them to (within the same page!) that it's difficult to keep up with the plot that's developing.

i love the core relationship of the group and i appreciated the lack of *bad relationship drama*, but even they barely saved this for me.

i reserve a special sort of hatred for the

mom with rightful anger and vengeance is actually possessed by this wacko man aspect

of the story. let women be angry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! let women be villains of their own right !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we were robbed. ROBBED

i also missed our sarcastic and begrudging-yet-helpful remy. the voice i fell in love with was lost in all this noise :/ remy voiced so much humor, so much oh fuck this in the face of fuckery. i'll definitely re-read the first over and over again and ignore this entire second set up  (minus, maybe, the 50 pages i actually liked and understood) 

i do appreciate the series, its' inclusiveness, its' look at love and grief and family and culture, but there was just ... so much happening here that made it fall short in comparison to the first. i think with more pages, more room for chupeco to let the characters breathe and be, as well as some strong edits to the huge character roster, the plot would've had more of a punch. we could've explore more of the vampire stronghold and the tense relations/differences between the different courts (because seriously.... huh), as well as the characters who do, seemingly, have impact on our core three (lorian, the person who tried to bathe remy

who, upon dying, remy cried something like you were my friend like wdym you were there for like 2 scenes

mostly) the twists had so little impact on me because i was like !!! who are these people !!! who are you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

also that cover art ..... who is that ik it's not my malekh.