For she was the cursed daughter, with the burden of Death upon her soul.
And surging inside her like life itself
Summary
Persephone finally learned to embrace her Dark powers, but that lesson had a terrible price. But still, there is no time for her to rest. A mysterious prophecy sends her on a quest to Ireland. Before all of this is over she will have to decide how much is she willing to give up to Darkness. And the answer might be everything
Writing
Burroughs’ writing style is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It’s incredibly flowery and poetic. It reminds me a lot of Tahereh Mafi’s style, but instead of being overly verbose, it actually compliments the book very well. You can feel that the author is completely and irrevocably in love with this story in every single sentence. It’s incredible.
Something I was really disappointed by (though I completely understand it) was the lack of music in this book. It was my favourite thing about the previous novel and I was really looking forward to experiencing that again. The author writes descriptions of music so masterfully, that it feels like you can almost hear it. It’s amazing. And I was really missing that.
Characters
I will admit it – I really didn’t like the main pairing in this book. I felt like Vespasian and Persephone just made each other miserable, even though their powers are complementing each other so well. I was resenting the author for ripping Persephone away from her Robin and throwing her on this heartbreaking path. But now I don’t.
I couldn’t stand Vespasian at the beginning. I was annoyed by everything he did or said. But over time – just like Persephone – I started to feel sympathy and respect for him despite myself. He’s definitely not a typical YA love interest. But that’s exactly what made me like him so much. I noticed how he empowered Persephone, how he made her grow, how he respected her. And yes, he is mean and short-tempered. But I grew to like his snappy comments and his easy banter with Persephone as well. Damn him, he really grew on me.
And when it comes to Persephone – I loved the way she changed in this novel. She emanates this kind of quiet strength that’s not very obvious, but it’s always there. And it’s wonderful. Her journey in this book was tough and heartbreaking, but incredibly inspiring.
Plot
I am not going to lie, it took a while for this story to actually drew me in. I struggled with it at the beginning. A lot. It’s pretty slow and I was annoyed at Vespasian. At Persephone. At Robin. At everyone, really. And honestly I was reading only because I enjoyed the writing style so much. But I am so glad I stayed. Once I reached the middle of the book I knew I was going to love it. And I was right. But it took me a while to get there.
Something I really appreciated was the fact that the author included the last three chapters of the previous book in this one. The action of this novel starts immediately after the end of the last, so it was incredibly convenient and made the overall reading experience much more pleasant. If it wasn’t for those last three chapters I would have been very, very confused.
Overall
It’s a really good book. It has none of the YA clichés and tropes I am used to. It’s a wonderful reading experience. And if you picked it up, but found yourself struggling to get through the beginning – keep pushing forward. It’s really worth it.
I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this book on Goodreads and Book Depository
LAUREGALIE 
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