Berls
Written on Sep 3, 2022
I am so incredibly disappointed with this series. I know several people love it because they love Vlad. I'm disappointed for the same reason. I fell in love with Vlad in the Cat and Bones series and wanted to get to know him better in this series. And I have not. Not even slightly.
For me, though, this book became 2.5 stars because it felt like a rehashing of the first book. I grew to really like Leila and was at least excited to see her grow as a character... only to see the exact opposite. Her lack of maturity and insight was shocking. Of course, I do know Vlad better than she does (despite being certain she's in love with him) due to their very limited interaction thus far -- mostly she gets kidnapped and her rescues her -- so maybe it's harsh to expect her to understand him better.
In the end, I do still love Vlad and I continue to hope we'll get to see him better in this series. And Leila has serious potential, so I am holding on to hope there as well.
I listened to this book and while Tavia Gilbert's narration for Vlad is pretty solid, the rest is just okay. I will say that as long as British, Irish, and Italian accents don't factor in it's not horrible, but it's far from my favorite. If I wasn't such a slow reader I would choose to read not listen.