The Brave and The Broken (Gifted Fae Academy, #2)

by Brittni Chenelle

[Ailyn Henbane]

Usually second books tend to let me down a little in terms of pacing and storyline. They often feel like fillers. With The Brave and The Broken, this isn't at all true. We pick up right where we left off, with uncertainty, deep emotional wounds, and little hope to share around.

Chenelle funnels grief from the page into you extremely well. While I wasn't super attached to the character who died, I was very attached to those who mourned him. Reina's rage, her denial of Kai's part in it all are real, so real it's a little like you're there with her listening to her.

The pressures Kai and Reina face to prove their convictions, their loyalty to the groups they've chosen as their own is a ghost hanging over their shoulders. One that isn't shakable for readers either. Which is great, it gives emotional stakes without being overly contrived. The connections, broken and gained, all add to the puzzle the MC is trying to put together, while trying to shove her love for the enemy out of her head.

Weirdly their little rendezvous hit me more than similar situations in other novels did. I'm not sure why, but I'm also not questioning it. The world building here hooks you in, the continued questionable motivations of EVERYONE keeps the bad and good from being stark as we see it in so much of media. It's refreshing.