Why I picked up this book:

I recently read the first book in this series, The Machine, and utterly fell in love with the world, the characters, and everything about it. If you love dark and devious villains as much as I do, it’s a book you don’t want to miss. After a major book hangover recovery, I immediately snagged the second book in the series, ready to dive right into another adventure with Holt and Captain Larissa Markus.

This review may contain spoilers.

The Pirate (Blood and Destiny #2)

Larissa’s new role as Captain of a pirate airship was never going to be simple. The mess of events that lead to her change of career don’t seem to be abating. Can she convince her crew to stick around through all the unusual and dangerous events? Or will she succumb to the mounting pressure and grief that others impose on her at every turn? The unravelling mysteries from her past mingle perilously with airships, fights, and explosions galore.

What I loved:

The Rafirin was a fantastic new spin to this delicious series. While I missed watching the quirky cat Imago padding around, the payoff at the end where readers witness an entirely new style of species is definitely worth it.

I really liked the addition of Kensington’s character as well as the Cleric. They both really brought a rich weave to the fabric of this tale.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

I struggled with Holt’s character this round. He’s still absolutely my favorite, but there were moments where he did things that felt out of character. And the sexual tension between Larissa and Holt took a bit of a nosedive. As a reader, I felt more stranded in -what’s going on- vs any true rooting for the characters.

This is subjective and I say it with both love and hugs but… Do. Not. Stop. The story. Mid-scene. This is a huge pet peeve of mine, so take it with a grain of salt, but this story did not have the rich arc the way the first book did. Then it just stops… mid-scene… with ‘to be continued.’ I was already very invested in this adventure, but a dead stop before the story has any sort of resolution really made the whole thing feel like a bunch of filler chapters between book one and the next true arc, wherever that book is. As a reader, this is extremely frustrating.

Overall:

For anyone who is considering this book, here are some things to know:

• It’s not nearly as dark or devious as the first book. This one seems to have lost a lot of the first book’s edge.
• The story drops you off a cliff at the end. There is no end, really. It just stops.
• A lot is left unexplained, and the richness between Larissa and Holt is a bit stilted.
• It does have some fantastic moments that are worth the read, and it is still a good adventure.

So as much as I love this series so far, I’m now very gun-shy about picking up the next book. Does the next book shove readers off a cliff as well, or does it resolve much of this story’s open threads? I want to see stronger sexual tension again between Larissa and Holt—they are 90% of the reason I love this series. But some of my favorite characters were killed off as well so I’m very hesitant.

For any reader who loves the idea of this series but didn’t particularly like the grimdark spin of the first book, you may enjoy this second one more. For me, I’m crossing my fingers that if/when I dive into the next book, all the glorious darkness and edgy characters return to their devious deeds.

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