There's a lot more action in this, the second book of the Honey and Ice trilogy. Alli and Faolan are on the run and need to reopen the way to Underhill in order to stop the madness among the Fae. There's a lot of politics and plot twists that keep the story moving and interesting. And of course, there's romance.
There's a good supporting cast of characters. I do like how they support each other and fill in gaps in the story. I'll definitely read the third and last book in the series. ( )

I got this one at 12:03 a.m. the night/day of its release. I waited and refreshed as often as I could while still reading the book I used to fill the void between A Court of Honey and Ash and A Throne Of Feathers and Bone. So far I'm now 1/3 of the way in and I'm addicted and fully invested hook line and sinker. I'm loving Kallik and Lan even more than in book #1 and I can't wait to see how they navigate their new world and the muddy waters of their ever evolving relationship.

Ok. Now that some time has passed and I have just finished the entire book, I have so much to say but only a smidgen of it can be voiced... spoilers and all that.

To begin with, I'm pleasantly surprised by how vastly different this book's tone is from the first. In this book, Kallik is no longer running like a scared babe in the Woods.... trusting whomever will show her even the slightest bit of kindness. Don't get me wrong, she's still on the run but while scrambling frantically about, she manages to find a place where she can put a concerted effort into cultivating (and maybe appreciating more?) her freshly discovered/newly shaped magical abilities. Along the way she finds out more about herself... more of who she really is and what that means to the Fae world. She learns who has had her back all along... in the shadows (and out)... and why. She learns key bits about her backstory, answering many frustrating questions like what are the real reasons why her magic is wonky, (especially when she and Lan have any sort of contact)? She learns the truth about her family and how that ultimately changes her entire world.

Then there's the fire building between her and Lan which, in the last book, felt like a handful of embers that had potential for more if only it were tended to more vigorously WHICH definitely happens in this book... it is working itself into a raging 5 alarm blaze... the kind of legendary Amore that minstrels and bards go on and on waxing poetic about. I love them together. They are a sexy Ying/Yang although there are some complications whenever their powers intermingle but hey, there's always a learning curve with each new relationship, right?... some more than others.

Anyway...

There were a couple of twisty turns that were a bit easy to foresee ahead of their reveals but there were also a few that were better disguised. Either way, the decent amount of curveballs made this book one magical, action aplenty, romance, coming of age and into one's role in Life tale. I'd label that as a successful plot and a rewarding way to spend the day... and then there's that ending!!!

Overall:
This book has it all.
- solid writing? Check
- lush, detailed background? Check
- magical action? Check
- some sexytime heat? Check(ish)
- courtly drama? Check
- dramatic plot twists? CHECK
- excellent character development? Double Check!!
All that and an emotional cliffy ending? Yes, thank you! If you liked A Court of Honey and Ash, you'll especially enjoy this read. I hope book #3 comes out soon... I already miss Kallik and Company. They'd 100% never go by that name but it's better than Kallik et al.

The take away here is that I tore through this book with glee. I really enjoyed it and I'm excited to dive back into this World with these well crafted characters hopefully sometime soon.

A Crown of Petals and Ice can't come soon enough for me.

~ Enjoy ( )