Do you love Guillermo Del Toro movies?

Think Manon is far superior to TOG's Aelin?

Want more inclusive feminist fantasy in you life?

Let me throw @sennydreadful's The Ninth Rain & The Bitter Twins in your face!😍

This sequel to The Ninth Rain starts with a bang and just keeps going. The Jure’lia are back but broken and with Jen William's masterful writing we start to see the character of this old enemy emerging. The Queen is both repulsive and captivating and I am looking forward to seeing what the author does with her (and Hest) in the finale of the trilogy when it comes out. I also felt that the strange character of the Jure’lia was so well written that at times I could even find sympathy for it.

However, there are times when I hate it as much as I am supposed to during this book, especially when a certain act made me gasp out loud! There are revelations in this book that leave some of the existing characters unsure of themselves and raise questions that Jen will definitely need to answer in book 3! I did find that Tor and Noon as a partnership really started to irritate me but at the same time I had a growing affection for the Aldasair/Bern dynamic that was developing. And I still absolutely loved the character of Vintage.

The quality of description in Jen William's writing was as high as ever and frankly some of the scenes left me feeling a little nauseus but I think that's a good thing as the acts are supposed to disturb you. This is adult fantasy after all and it doesn't pull any punches. Overall, once again Jen has written fantasy as it was meant to be written and it doesn't disappoint. Bring on book 3!

Very good sequel to the Ninth Rain. Williams follows straight on from the conclusion of that book with another series of journeys, with an increasing cast of character heading in different directions. The worldbuilding is kicked up a notch, and the background behind this strange world full of strange creatures and people starts to be revealed.

While there is action aplenty here, as with the first book I found sections of it dragged quite a bit and I lost momentum. But once they were passed I rattled through the rest of the book.

Williams' narrative style is very heavy on the descriptions of people and places and I did find myself having to speed-read the last quarter of the book as it was getting a little tiring (there were times I would read a whole page and got nothing out of it). This is fine if you want a very very immersive experience and to picture everything exactly as the author intended, but I like to imagine things my own way sometimes so was content to scan through and pick up on the events and dialogue without the overly elaborate descriptions.

A good story in a very interesting world full of good quality characters and action.

4.5/5 stars

For the first 20-30% of this book I was confused and was struggling to get my bearings. It's been a year and many books since I read The Ninth Rain, so a lot of the details were a blur and I couldn't remember many of the characters...

However, this was just as enjoyable and action-packed as the first. Once I eventually settled into the story, I fell back in love with it. This was a whirlwind of a ride, it was funny, it was sad and my heart was in my throat for the majority of the second half of the book.
Now to wait (im)patiently for the next book...

I have been really looking forward to reading this, having loved The Ninth Rain, and Jen Williams certainly didn't disappoint with this follow-up. It tells the continuing story of Tor, Noon, Vintage and the rest as they attempt to combat the Jur'elia while trying to restore Ebora to its former glory. The characters are really given the chance to develop in this second instalment, and once again, Williams has introduced some diverse people into the fray. We are shown more about the history of Sarn and the Eboran people, which was fascinating and as per the first book, this is definitely continuing the genre bending. I thought that the first half of the book was a little bit more sedate pacing-wise and then the second half was absolutely page-turning gold! There are some great plot developments here and I really like the progression of Hestillion, who is perhaps the most intriguing character of the bunch. Williams is fast becoming one of my favourite authors in the genre - she is breaking some really interesting ground and I for one will now be waiting (not) patiently for the conclusion.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Such a good sequel to a brilliant first book.
I'm loathe to discuss any of the plot for fear of spoiling this book or the first for anyone that reads this review but i very much recommend picking up this book series!!

This book made me laugh, had me on the edge of my seat and surprised me with twists and turns.

What a ride. 4.5 Stars!