I LOVED the first book, and the beginning of this was like an amazing continuation of the same story.
Vasya is free now! The rescue story with the girls? Iconic.
Then there was the middle. Hmm. I winced a little bit. Lots of painful awkwardness. Family relationships fraying, and Vasya back in a cage. Vasya's own bullheaded blindness was also painful. There were some fun moments, but the whole story had the feel of a long, tense, high-pitched note played on a violin. And then it ended, and I'm not at all sure where we're going from here.
The seeds planted hinting at the root of Morozko's tie to Vasya and the future for him are intriguing. I wished there was more on that, rather than Vasya self-destructively wilding in Moscow. The next book, I assume, will flesh those out more.
I'm hoping this is a classic case of Middle Book Doldrums, and the finale will bring us back to the heights of book one.
Vasya is free now! The rescue story with the girls? Iconic.
Then there was the middle. Hmm. I winced a little bit. Lots of painful awkwardness. Family relationships fraying, and Vasya back in a cage. Vasya's own bullheaded blindness was also painful. There were some fun moments, but the whole story had the feel of a long, tense, high-pitched note played on a violin. And then it ended, and I'm not at all sure where we're going from here.
The seeds planted hinting at the root of Morozko's tie to Vasya and the future for him are intriguing. I wished there was more on that, rather than Vasya self-destructively wilding in Moscow. The next book, I assume, will flesh those out more.
I'm hoping this is a classic case of Middle Book Doldrums, and the finale will bring us back to the heights of book one.