Beattz

This is as advertised lol. The first one had more “sting” to it for sure, but it is definitely “in kind”. If you liked the first one, you'll dig this one too.

I'm not sure where to begin because I have so many thoughts, but here goes nothing.
I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought. The first half wasn't slow, exactly, it just didn't differentiate itself from other Roman inspired fantasy that I've read (ie, Red Rising). It took until Vis went back to Suus, I think, for the story to truly start to come into its own and pull away from the pack. From there on out, each minute felt like that scene from Indiana Jones when he's being chased by a giant boulder, only it's wild animals, what amounts to zombies in this world, and members of the rebel faction.
One thing I really commend this book on is the crafting of the characters and their relationships. We really have 5 main players- Vis, Eidhin, Callidus, Emissa, and Aequa. Each with their own goals and strategies, thrust into this academy by their parents or benefactors to be used as tools in the future governance of the realm. But we get to see beneath all of that to the people they are underneath, what truly moves them, what makes them human, how they think they can affect the world around them. And we get to watch as little by little waters are tested, feelers extended and they begin to trust one another with secrets and with intimacies. Each bit of ground earned with the text we are given.
And the end. I don't even know what to say. Part of it I sussed out sure, but the other bit?? Are you kidding me?? Please tell me we get dual POV now in each world. Anything else would be an absolute crime.