Title: Blood divided
Author: Katie Keridan
Series: The Felserpent chronicles, part 2
Genre(s): Fantasy, romance
My rating: 5/5 stars
Other books by this author: Reign returned (part 1), Once upon a girl
Age category: Young Adult
Trigger warnings: Violence, threats, Death (animals/adults/children), Torture (child/adult), Kidnapping, Selling of children, Child experimentation, Injury detail, Mental health issues
The story
In this review you can find spoilers for part 1, so I would recommend you to read this review after you have read part 1.
Now that Kyra and Sebastian know who they used to be, they start working on the future. They both want to resume the journey they couldn't finish a long time ago. But they aren't the only ones who are back again. The person who stopped them the first time is also alive, and might try to stop them again.
But Tallus (or how the name is now) is not their only problem. Aeles and Nocens have never had higher tensions. And there are also children disappearing from Nocens again. Sebastian is determined to find out if those children are going through the same things as he went as a child. And also Kyra wants to find that out, but even more what part her father played in that whole situation. And she's the best connection now that she has the internship she always wanted.
The Characters
This book follows quite the same cast of characters as book one, which is nice since you already know the characters. You don't have to get to know everyone, and that makes the story move on from where it ended. Some side characters get a bigger role in this book, and you also find out more about the past of some other people. But the author makes sure that every single character has their own personality.
The two main characters grow a lot more in this book, and as a reader you can really see them change for the better throughout the story. They mature a lot, and you can see them getting used to their role in the world. They still are very young, and they act like their age. This makes them likeable and not weird to follow in this story.
The setting
In this book we see the same setting as in the first book, and it's still described as good as it was in part one. You already know most locations, but you still get new details on how the places look now that they also go to different buildings. Also, with no doubt, you never get to feel lost whether the characters are in Aeles or Nocens. The two places look so different, and are described as that as well. The author really makes sure that Aeles and Nocens both have their own beauty and can't be compared to each other as to which one is better. That makes both places have their own personality, even though it's not a character, but it makes sure that the world and setting never feels flat.
My opinion
Okay, so I'm so happy I could read this book straight after I finished book one, and now I'm quite sad I have to wait for book three. Because I just need to know how everything ends now. Especially at the end this story moves so quickly and a lot happens, and it just ends quite abruptly. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and I hope to get the answers in book three. I'm pretty sure I will get them, but I just wanna know how it will come.
I love the way Kyra and Sebastian deal with the fact that they used to be Schatten and Kareth. Now that they remember everything, it's even more fun to see how they deal with the past. And how they also learn from their memories. But they still make other choices, their own choices in this life. They don't jump back to how their old lives used to be, but they take their memories as learning points and create a new life in this time. The growth of the relationship between Kyra and Sebastian has also been described wonderfully. It's a very good slowburn, the pacing is perfect, and you can really feel the chemistry between the two of them.
I also love the side pov that sometimes interrupts the actual story of Sebastian of Kyra. It shows the past of Sebastian in a beautiful way, and I love how it doesn't feel forced this way. It fits perfectly inside the story, since it gives a little rest from the plot, but also more insight into Sebastian, who is quite closed as a character.
Still, my favorite character in this story is Batty. I want a Batty in real life. That would be so perfect. Batty feels so natural, and I hope to also see a lot of him in book three. Also the other cyphers had amazing roles in this book as well. The cyphers seriously belong to the characters, and the chemistry between the person and cypher never feels forced.
Overall, this story was the first read of this year, and I'm glad I started with this awesome five star read. And now it's time to wait for book three. And maybe a reread of book one and two when book three comes out. Because I really can't get enough of this story right now.
Conclusion
This book is just like book one, a recommendation to every fantasy lover out there. These books are so wonderfully written and the plot is super strong as well. The characters are super likeable to follow, and you can't wait for book three once you have finished this book.
Quote
“knowledge changes you. You can’t go back to who you were before you knew something” - Katie Keridan, Blood divided.
{I received this book as a digital review copy, wherefore I thank the author: Katie Keridan. I also want to thank Bookinfluencers.com for this book tour. This however does not influence my opinion of the story.}