Pages: 360
Series: The Wicked Trilogy #2
Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Self-Published)
Release Date: July 19, 2016
Genre(s): Paranormal with Romantic Elements
Format: Paperback
*If you have not read the first book in this series (Wicked) , please stop reading this review now! SPOILERS FOLLOW for Book #1!*
Goodreads Synopsis
“Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same.
Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her.
Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him?
But as the Fae Prince begins to close in, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.”
What Did I Think?
Guys I frick frackin’ LOVED this book! A lot of times the second book in a series is the hardest to write, as it has to pull together ideas from the first book while setting the stage for the third, but this book was one of my favorite second books in a series of all time!
Instead of going into the overall concept (which you already know I love from my review of Wicked), let’s talk about how are characters are adjusting to life after that crazy plot twist JLA threw at us at the end of Wicked! Like with most of her books, I fall more and more in love with the characters she creates as a series goes on. I mean yeah, they literally stomp all over my heart every time, but for some reason I keep coming back (and it’s totally worth it each time, I swear!).
I respected Ivy so much more in this book than I did in the first one. Throughout the course of Torn, she was very anxious and kept to herself a lot, and I really don’t blame her, considering the entire Order demanded that the halfling (aka Ivy) be killed on-site. This distance Ivy was keeping definitely changed the relationship she had with Ren– it basically made it non-existent for a time, which drove me literally insane because I ship them so hard– but at the same time, I thought her reaction was super understandable and realistic, given the circumstances. It’s human nature to want to fight for your survival, and I think Ivy’s approach to trying to do so made total sense and felt real, even though it was clear she hated having to isolate herself from those she loved to keep them (and herself) out of harm’s way. The perseverance and bravery we see from Ivy in Torn is definitely going to make her a stronger character come the third book, and I can’t wait to see how her character deals with the next set of obstacles she has thrown her way in Book Three!
A short letter to my good friend, Ren: Oh, Ren. I love ya, buddy, but you CRUSHED MY SOUL in this book. I get it, I totally do, but I still expect you to make it up to me (and Ivy, but mostly me) in the next book. In all seriousness, though, Ren’s personality stayed pretty true to what it was in the first book– sweet, hilarious, and oh so lovable, even when he was being a dummy. I wish I could give you all the juicy deets about why I have such mixed feelings about Ren’s actions in this book, but you’ll just have to read it for yourself to find out why I’m so conflicted! I will say that he redeemed himself towards the end of the book, but I can’t help but hold a little bit of a grudge because I expected so much more from him (ughh… why do I sound like a disappointed parent here? Regardless, it’s the truth, yo).
Last but certainly not least, MY MAN TINK! If anyone who’s read this book says that don’t like Tink, you definitely shouldn’t be hanging out with them because they are CRAY! He added so much humor to a book that had some pretty dark moments, and I love when his hidden knowledge of all things Fae and demons comes out when you least expect it! Some big things happened for Tink in this book, and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans he gets into in the next book!
Andddd we are down to my final thoughts! The pacing for this book was right on the money. I didn’t find myself skimming, and I was completely focused and invested in all this book had to offer from beginning to end. The characters demand attention from the audience, and I am so here for how much our MCs have developed in just the first two books. JLA’s writing style is so beautiful and compelling, and her books always take the reader on some of the best (and most insane) journeys ever–Torn could be one of the wildest yet!
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
*TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains very mature content (both in terms of violence and romantic themes) that exceeds that of the first book in the series, so I would only recommend individuals 18+ give it a read!*
This recommendation is obvious as HECK, but if you loved Wicked, you should definitely be reading this book like right now!
bookspirationbysarah.com 