Hello, I will be adding this review to my Instagram, Goodreads, and blog on August 30th, 2019. I will add links to each review when they are live. Thank you so much!

Title: Eclipse the Skies (Ignite the Stars #2)
Author: Maura Milan
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2019
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.





I would usually put the synopsis here but since this is a sequel I will keep it out so that it doesn't spoil the first book. You can click here if you would like to read it.





My Review:
Well guys, this author literally crushed my hopes and dreams and I refuse to believe that this is the end. Eclipse the Skies took me on a crazy ride of emotions and I don't know if I will ever be okay.

If you haven't read the first book then definitely skip over this review and go read it!

Ia is back along with all of the other characters we were introduced to as well as a couple new faces. Ia's personality definitely takes a backseat for a bit of the book as she becomes quite vulnerable. I liked to see this side of her because it shows that she isn't just a kickass character but a girl that also deals with not feeling good enough.

Brinn also did a 180 for most of the book. Sweet and by the books Brinn had a lot of character development and I was here for it! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed her a lot in the first book but it was also exciting to see this new change and how she became more of a morally grey character. Definitely one of my favorite character developments of all!

Knives is still Knives and although he does some pretty heroic stuff, he wasn't that big of a character in this book. Well, for me at least, he wasn't. I was okay with this because I enjoyed reading about Brinn more. Knives does go through quite a bit and even when he starts to feel like all hope is lost, he manages to find the inner strength to continue on.

There were a couple minor characters that I just fell for from the beginning, Goner and Vetty. Goner is another criminal just like Ia and although he is such, I couldn't help but find him to be quite interesting. He is pretty morally grey and I loved every plot that included him. Vetty was talked about in the first book but never made an appearance. As the ex of Ia, it seemed like he would make things pretty awkward but honestly it was just the opposite. They were still great friends and he would do anything for her. I loved it!

Just like in the first book, the romance is very minimal. A couple kisses, maybe an "I love you" but its not a major plot point and I was okay with this. Sometimes you just need more action and less romance. I mean I do anyways.

The plot was interesting and kept me engaged the whole way through. Just like in the first book, there is political talk and a civil war forming due to a group of people being different than the rest. This is a very important topic and I think the author always does a nice job of discussing it. As for the plot twists, there were so many! I didn't expect any of them and may have had a standard shock face permanently glued to my face because of them. The ending is gut-wrenching and honestly just thinking about it makes me sad. I need more and I need it now!

Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and actually liked it more than the first book. If you are a fan of YA sci-fi then definitely give this one a shot! I did and I loved every moment of it.

Note: This is the sequel and conclusion of IGNITE THE STARS, which you can find my glowing review here: http://www.happyindulgencebooks.com/2018/08/31/ignite-the-stars-review-ia-is-a-heroine-you-will-fall-in-love-with/. As such, this review will have (very) minor spoilers.

I utterly adored IGNITE THE STARS, and so I had high, highhhh expectations for this sequel. And while I enjoyed it wholeheartedly, I can’t help but also feel a bit… underwhelmed. The official rating I’m giving this is 3.5 stars because my appreciation level for it is 4+ stars, but the execution and my own heavy bias towards where the plot went leans towards a 3 stars. Of course, rounded to a 4 because of the dynamic writing, characters, and setting. But let’s take a closer look at what happened to make this conclusion, while action-packed and full of fun, bittersweet and underwhelming as well.

“‘There is goodness in this universe. There will always be light. We cannot let it die.’”

ECLIPSE THE SKIES starts almost immediately after book 1 left off. I confess, there were a lot of holes in my memories about IGNITE THE STARS and being thrust into the story with no recap left me a bit confused at first. But it didn’t take me long to get back in the game, where the constantly-turning plot keeps the readers on their toes. I enjoyed that aspect of IGNITE THE STARS, and ECLIPSE THE SKIES continued on it well. While the pacing was honestly a bit odd (several week jumps occurred throughout the story, making time go faster than it felt), the characters still went through a lot of emotional turmoil. IGNITE THE STARS was a book marked by chaos and violence, aggression and revolution. But ECLIPSE THE SKIES focuses on the aftermath of such themes: healing and growth, peace and compassion. And this focus extends towards the characters as well. Ia, one of my favorite heroines of all time, has to learn to look beyond her anger and at a greater purpose. Knives gets a reality check after realizing that he himself can take control of his life, rather than living under the shadow of his father and sister. And Brinn truly grows to understand the meaning of freedom in the face of the realization that she’s not alone. These three intersecting POV’s switched constantly, but due to the never-ending action, there was never a dull moment with either of them. They all go through tremendous character growth in general and I like them all for different reasons.

I can’t say much plot-wise without spoiling it for readers but let me just say, things go into realms that The Mind of Aila didn’t approve of. I appreciated what the author was trying to convey, and the beauty of certain decisions. But y’all… I was just unimpressed. So while there were key points of the plot that were important and necessary, I think the characters could have taken a different choice (COUGH Ia COUGH) that would have led to a more triumphant-feeling ending. But that’s all I’ll say about it.

Nothing is developed romance-wise, and it seems like Ia and Knives barely know of the other’s existence half the book. While each character went through a journey of PERSONAL re-discovery, I needed more interactions between them as a whole. Actually, Brinn talked to Knives for around 4 pages for the entire story. Ia and Brinn, whose friendship I was REALLY looking forward to since the previous book, didn’t progress much at all when they were together. The way their interactions felt throughout their own self-growth was clunky and not enough to justify their thoughts at the end. And while Ia and Knives had a developing relationship from book 1, I would say the same in regards to their lack of interactions. Which is fine, but Brinn deserved better. She really did. I guess constant action just didn’t make enough room for the dialogue to actually get somewhere, and most of the growth/decisions made were through the characters’ own introspection and advice from other characters. It never felt like they were a TEAM, ya know?

“First impressions were powerful, like threads whipping at the seeds of your memory, but she realized now that real friendships were made of a stronger type of cord.”

ECLIPSE THE SKIES has put me in a weird spot, where I REALLY want to like the book because the first book was so explosive, but I just remain disappointed with certain actions that led up to the ending. And while I sit on the ending and think on it more, I’m beginning to feel more satisfied, it still left me discontent after initially finishing the pages (plus, ALL THOSE LOOSE ENDS. But alas.). Fans of IGNITE THE STARS definitely need to pick this one up, if anything, to finish Ia’s story. But I would also recommend this duology to readers who place action at the forefront of stories, because it really is a wild ride from start to finish.

Trigger/Content Warnings: mild violence, alcohol usage (at least, there’s a substitution in the world), vaping, loss of loved ones, physical assault, mention of concentration camps, death, stoning

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Thank you Abrams and Netgalley for the review copy!