Lucie V.'s Reviews > City of Vicious Night

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you North Star Editions). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✅ Multiple POVs
✅ World-building / Sci-fi vibe
✅🆗 Pace
🆗 Romance (FF)
🆗 Characters
🆗 Plot

Because they are now facing so many threats, Asa, Riven and her crew need to find a way to earn protection fast. The best way to do so, according to Riven, would be to participate in the upcoming competition to become a matriarch. If they win their spot, they would be protected and the bounty on their head wouldn’t mean anything anymore.

Honestly, I found this book boring. I remember enjoying the first one, the pace was good, the setting was refreshing, and the plot was engaging enough to keep me hooked, even though I do not read that many sci-fi books in general. This sequel was just bland.

There was some politics, as Asa and Riven’s crew are still trying to hide from Asa’s father, and basically everyone else as there is now a bounty on their head, but I can’t say that I was engaged in the plot. I skimmed some parts near the middle because it just got tedious and I struggled to remain focused on the story. The ideas were mostly good, but the execution in general was lacking. Some aspects of the story just seemed inconsequential too, and I kept on hoping that it would make more sense, or that I would finally understand how they were relevant, but there are still some parts of the story that seem pointless. I just wanted it to end so I can move on and read something more interesting.

Riven was also very frustrating in this book. She was impulsive, to begin with in the first book, but in this sequel, she just does whatever she wants to, without thinking about the consequences or how it affects others. She ended up putting her whole crew at risk many times, and still, she never got the results she wanted with her half-baked plans. She also seemed to be pretty self-centered at times, except of course when it came to romance. When it came to Asa, Riven decided to be a martyr and to stay away from her to protect her, although I fail to see how that will change anything, seeing as they are still living and traveling together as a crew. It was most probably a way for the author to add some drama to the story, but considering how little I cared about Riven, I was not involved in her romance with Asa. That being said, the romance did feel less forced than in the first book, so that’s good at least.

One relationship that I enjoyed more is Asa and Kaya’s. They get closer in this book, and I liked seeing their sisterly bond get stronger. Honestly, I don’t really know what else to say about this book. I had to force myself to continue reading it, not because it was bad, but because I didn’t care about the characters and the plot.

This book marks the end of this duology, but the ending is open enough for the author to continue this series with a new adventure if she chooses to do so. I do not think I will read any other book that might be released linked to this universe though, because I was disappointed and bored with this one. I am not the biggest fan of sci-fi (meaning that I am very picky when it comes to it), so maybe part of the problem here is me.


1. City of Shattered Light ⭐⭐⭐.5

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