.jpeg)
The War of Two Queens by Jennifer Armentrout Book Review
- Savannah Boone
- Jul 10, 2022
- 4 min read
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Ratings
Content Warning: Blood, Violence, Smut, Death, Grief, Death
Review
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it was my least favorite of the series. Even though we finally had Casteel’s POV and I LIVED for those chapters. It just wasn't doing it for me. The plot of a drag, the action was lame, and there was too much of a history lesson to learn this late in the game. I couldn't take it and I honestly struggled to read it.
Pros
>A map!
Reaver
>Cas's POV
Cons
>Damn info-dumping
>50% was war prepping and being separated
>Vague and confusing descriptions
>The Joining scene
Plot
Poppy's linage shouldn't be this convoluted and confusing. The whole damn thing shouldn't be. We just had to take it up another notch. Which I truly didn’t see the point of. She could have been a god and still been hella powerful. It just seemed like an unnecessary plot point.
I also didn’t like that the ending alluded to more books instead of ending it tied with a nice bow. I don’t feel satisfied or complete with the ending. I was wanting a more solid and confound ending. And to add to that, the ending was confusing as fuck to keep up with. The descriptions were vague and not explained very well. I couldn’t picture what was happening.
Characters
The dynamic between Casteel, Poppy, and Kieran was an interesting choice. I did see Poppy and Kieran’s relationship as one born of trauma instead of emotional cheating, but I could see where other readers interpreted the situation as such.
And let’s not forget about the Joining! I was pro-joining since it was first mentioned because I was intrigued by the idea of a poly-relationship. But as the series continued and Poppy and Kieran became like siblings, I couldn't see the Joining happening. It did, though, and it ruined the dynamic of PoppyCas and their friendship with Kieran. I feel betrayed and confused. Kieran deserves more than this. He deserves someone to love him back, not just a piece of PoppyCas. Besides, the scene itself was also very confusing, so I wasn't even able to enjoy that happened. It felt rushed and not in character.
I don't have much to say in terms of the main characters. I'm too disappointed and hurt to sort through the mess I just read. Casteel felt bland and his only trait was loving Poppy. Poppy had a little bit of growth, but her personality/identity changes in every book, so she doesn't get to pin who she is down. And poor Kieran just felt like a tool for the Joining, nothing more.
Side Characters
I also felt nothing when Hisa or Delano died. We weren't given enough time with them or shown how much they mean to Poppy. That was how I felt about most of the side characters besides Reaver and Kieran. I could read a whole book on just those two.
And what about Malik and Millicent?! That was just random and I needed more on them. They played no role in the ending besides maybe clarifying what the hell the Blood Queen was doing. And what about Callum? Who is he?
Writing
There was a lot of info-dumping into this book. It was honestly a bit overwhelming, but it was set up for the prequel series in mind I’m sure. However, it was mainly dumped at the very end and that didn't seem like a good move to me. It was too much to take in and not that well explained. I STILL have questions that should have been answered well before now.
This isn't necessarily the writing, but the chapter images were a lot to say the least. I didn't like them and it felt off from the tone of the series. And what even does the dragon and moon represent? All the other covers were explained in the books, but this one isn't. It's similar to the prequel book cover, so is it relating to that? Maybe I missed the connection when reading.
Conclusion
Although I was generally disappointed and left wanting more, it was a good book. I enjoyed the action-packed scenes and the relationship-building between Poppy and Valyn. But I needed more at the end because it was hyped up as a full scale war, and it was not. It was a measly fight.
This book left me not wanting to read whatever is to follow. It's just too much at this point and I can accept that they find Kolis and restore peace. But I won't read it. I will, however, read the prequels because that story sounds interesting.
Cover Art
While I don't understand the cover art, it doesn't mean I don't like it. I still think it is a beautiful cover; dramatic and dynamic. You can still get the sense that this is the end or something big is happening in this book, especially with the withering leaves and dreary color scheme.
What did you think of the book? Do you have anything to add, good or bad? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
If you want a more brief review, view my "to-read" list, or what I’ve read before 2022, you can follow my Goodreads page by clicking the link below.
Comments