Eidolon

I have no words right now. I live for Ildiko and Brishen's relationship. This book was very different from Radiance in that in Radiance the conflict was very much external and applied to the couple, whereas Eidolon, while it had external conflict, also had more internal conflict between Brishen and Ildiko. It was still so good though!

Enjoyed the second book almost as much as the first!! The opening was such a stark difference to the opening of the first book so we are treated to an IMMEDIATE tonal shift and it worked so well in my opinion. One of my fav tropes is having a calm, routine situation being disrupted by something completely harrowing and this book pulled it off perfectly.

The scene where all the elderly Kai stand off against the galla was absolutely haunting and will be burned into my mind for a long, long time. Along with the absolutely chilling line of “So falls the kingdom of Bast-Haradis.”

Ildiko and Brishen's relationship remains an absolute treat, even with the added tension and angst of the plot coming in. Even though there are conflicts that directly affect their relationship, it's again refreshing to see that their love for each other never wavers, even as the plot tries to tear them apart. Ildiko wearing Brishen's shirt when he's gone just to feel close to him? I almost cried.

“I would have been content to live my life as just Brishen,” he whispered into her hair. “Who was loved by Ildiko.” ~“No. Nothing so grand. I'm content to live my life as just Ildiko,” she said softly, repeating words similar to those he once whispered in her hair when he thought her asleep. “Who is loved by Brishen.”

Once again loving Ildiko's character. Even under overwhelming circumstances she fully rises to the challenge, facing an entire country relying on her and also alienating her for being human. She faces all the challenges with grace and strength and poise and I just absolutely adore her for that. Even though the Kai don't want her as their Queen OR their Regent, she still does everything she can to keep them all safe and fed not just because they're Brishen's people and she loves him, but because she considers them to be her people too and worthy of all of her efforts, even if some of them scorn her. She would've made a fantastic Queen if circumstances were different.

Obsessed with the side plot of Kirgipa and Necos falling for each other. Still so invested in Brishen and Ildiko but watching a new romance blossom is a relief to have a bit of a break from all the weighty challenges the main couple faced in this book.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. I think it ended in a good place, with not all the loose ends tied up so it's not a PERFECT ending but still a very good one, which I think is better. I'm undecided on whether I'll pick up the third book since it focuses on Serovek and Anhuset, but the possibility remains since I loved the first two books so much!

The story and the romance are great, don't get me wrong, but the story telling is just not it. What should be the climax of the book is rushed through and there's no sense of satisfaction. Secmis is taken down in less than a page? The entirety of the hull galla are wiped in a chapter? The other 300 pages are just Ildiko worrying about the food larders and not being about to have a Kai baby and the almost, but not really romance between Kirgipa and Neco as they take 3/4 of the book to get the baby queen to Ildiko. This book series really needs an editor to force the author to flesh out the climactic bits. I still love Brishen and Ildiko so I'm going to finish the series, but probably not anytime soon.

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Eidolon is the sequel to Radiance, a book that had been recommended to me about a million times. I rather enjoyed Radiance, not to anyone's surprise. I love a good fantasy romance book. Eidolon did not feel at ALL like Radiance. There was very, very little romance in it – this felt more like a straight up fantasy novel. Which, to be quite frank, I was totally fine with. I love fantasy. I can see, however, how some people would be turned off by Eidolon as a sequel. They clearly go together, but the tone of each book is vastly different.

I still love Brishen and Ildiko's relationship. I just wish we had seen more of them together, without all the [wiggles hands about] issues they had in Eidolon.

ANYWAY, Eidolon was enjoyable, just maybe not quite as much as Radiance, especially if you're going in expecting romance.

Such a good little series!! Great characters, romance and story line. I could have actually done with both books being longer and more fleshed out but still really enjoyed them as they were.

I know the series continues but feel like the first 2 books tie up nicely so could easily be read as a duology.

What a book.

I do think I liked the first one more, but there is such a draw to this world and the writing is phenomenal. I will miss this couple... I hope they show up or are at least mentioned in other books. I'm also glad to finally know what Wraith Kings are and why the series is called such – I get it now! And I'm even more excited to read the series. And because I read Night Tide I want... one of their books so badly!

I look forward to reading more by this author.

3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one. I felt like the ending was just a little too wrapped up and tidy. But, I definitely like GD's writing style. It flows very well for me, so this book was pretty easy to get through. I would have liked more explanation on the galla, or demons, and magic surrounding all that. It just seemed a little rough, but thats just my opinion. I love Brishen and Ildiko, and I was glad that a few things in their relationship were “put to the test” in this book. I saw somewhere that the next books in this series will no longer be about them, so I am really looking forward to that. I think this series has quite a bit of potential.