Nicole

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and oh my god I am floored by how much I loved it. I have not devoured a book so quickly in a long time.
No book is perfect, but The Faithless Hawk is damn near it. I haven't been this satisfied with an ending in like, ever. I loved these characters and this world and I just wanna stay here forever. Honestly, this is a cure for reading slumps.

A Torch Against the Night was a delightful sequel. Sometimes, a sequel can be disappointing but I found this one to be much more interesting because we start to learn more about the magic in their world, as well as a glimpse of the Tribal culture Elias grew up in. We also get Helene's perspective, someone who is wrought with internal conflict just as Elias is, if not for a different reason: her love for Elias and for her family. Everyone is under the threat of the sadistic new Emperor Marcus and his right hand, Keris, Elias' mother. There's a lot going on but it never detracts from each other or confuses New plots unfold and sinister characters are introduced, all the while Laia and Elias' journey brings them closer and closer even as they try to resist it. Action, magic, a teeny bit of romance, and mystery, A Torch Against the Night is a wonderful follow-up that satisfies, but also leaves you with a quiet sensation of wanting more! Can't wait for the next one!

I'm pretty on the fence about this one. On one hand, I really disliked a few elements, while there were some redeeming aspects that made me somewhat enjoy it.
The beginning had me groaning every few pages because it was so cliche. Popular kids vs. The Loner, who's ex-best friend is now the leader of the populars. The hierarchy is so bad that the way people sit in the high school cafeteria corresponds to it. The populars are mean to her, and she's of course smarter than all of them. I don't remember my high school experience being anything like this, or anyone I've ever talked so I don't know why this tired stereotype still comes into play. And the popular kids aren't given any depth, except for Hayley, who like a cliche may be dumb but actually has a good heart (I still like her though), and Sienna who is just the queen bitch. I wanted these girls to be more than their stereotypes and I had hoped the disaster would've brought out new sides of them but it didn't and it was very disappointing. The girls weren't very ‘real' and don't really live past these stereotypes.

Also, the boy Denver has a crush on is named CROIX, which is French for a cross. I can just imagine how non-French speakers will pronounce it. He ‘transcends' popularity (he does nerdy things like sing in choir and theatre but is still THE MOST POPULAR GUY even though those things would make someone else very unpopular) and is so cool and blah blah blah and just reading how the main character idolized him makes me roll my eyes because it was so stereotypical, including the part where he invites her to the party because she's ‘not like other girls' (this set me off because it's so misogynistic and pits girls against girls and that being traditionally feminine is something to be ashamed of). He is a ‘hipster' stereotype and is probably the most unrealistic character I have ever read.

Everything is pretty generic in this story except for the survival aspect of it, but I found that even very minimal. We still spent most of the time in the past and I wish there had been more development between Denver and Abigail during the ordeal instead of only really at it's resolution. I get that the whole point was that Abigail was proud and wanted to remain standoffish because she doesn't trust anyone anymore.
The ending I absolutely loved and redeemable for all the things that had me groaning because Denver and Abigail unlearn their toxic behaviour and actively try to make a difference by dismantling the “popularity hierarchy”. I guess what I really disliked was the whole “mean girls” angle the book was trying to take because it's overdone and unrealistic (to me at least). By the ending, the things that I liked I really liked and somewhat cancelled out all the cliches and groan worthy things that I disliked.

3.5 stars!
I really loved this book but GOD WAS IT THE SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS!

I really loved the discussions about consent, power dynamics in a workplace romance, subtle discussion about racism in Hollywood (as Jo is Chinese American), as well as the Me Too movement.

Also loved that it was a f/f romance with an openly bi mc! The fact that Emma was a tall, asthmatic bisexual woman resonated with me a lot. Emma is also Jewish and is talked about throughout the book.