I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Warmaidens was so much fun to dive into! Luckily for me, I didn't forget much from Gravemaidens and it was pretty easy to get back into this world. It's mostly because of the characters. They are just so freaking lovable and my feelings for Dagan and Kammani grew so much while reading this book.

They are my ship and everything. All I wanted was for them to be protected at all costs and to eventually become a thing towards the end. Ya know.. like a couple couple. Marriage and all that jazz. I JUST WANTED THEM TO LIVE DAMMIT!

That being said, Kammani was somewhat okay in this book. Don't get me wrong I still love the crap out of her. She was just annoying and a little dumb this time around. Not sure what happened between the first and second book but it was so hard for her to make a decision or to trust someone. I mean, obviously you should listen if and when someone has a message for ya... but what do I know?

There was also a scene that ALMOST broke my heart. Meaning I almost threw my phone at the wall and screamed at it for lying to me. I didn't think I would have trust issues with a damn ebook but apparently I can and did.

In the end, it was really cute and I felt like an emotional mess. Mostly from all the battle scenes and then that last damn chapter. Ugh, I am so happy that I got to dive into this.

In my opinion, Warmaidens is an excellent sequel.

The plot and characters having been already established makes the world building more prominent to the reader and the author exceeds expectations.

Again, because of potential spoilers, I will submit a full review at a later date but definitely snag this book!

This book made me want to tear my hair out lol. It seemed so opposite of the first book, with nothing going to plan and everything is terrible all the time. I thought after what Kammani went through, she wouldn't be so naive. She kept making these plans to take down Uruku and save her people, but they weren't well thought out and seemed inevitable they would fail. Kammani is also terrified almost the entire book, to the point that she ignores her instincts and won't listen to what others are telling her. This leads to her making some huge mistakes with dire consequences.

I didn't love Kammani in this one, but I did love Dagan. He cares so much for Kammani and would do absolutely anything for her. He goes along with her even when he thinks her ideas won't work, he helps with whatever she needs, and he is an all around great man. Seeing him with his brothers was so sweet and you know he'll be an amazing dad. I wish we had seen a glimpse of that, him holding his child and teaching them.

The ending was nice, things finally come together a bit. The boatman's story I really enjoyed and it's conclusion was perfect.

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed Coon's Gravemaidens, the first book in this series, so I eagerly anticipated this sequel. It was, however, a disappointment. The plot is a a bit of a retread of the first book--remove the evil despot--and the characters are universally flat. They've all been saddled with new abilities as well as each now having a more significant flaw, but it feels like these attributes have been added as if the characters leveled up, like in D&D. The characters experience failure after failure, and while failure is great for plot, the characters need to be learning from those failures--and these never seem to do that, which is enormously frustrating. While it's good to see that the feminist ethos of the first book is still very present, it feels much more self-conscious in this volume, often expressed through interior character monologues rather than by actions and actual conversations between characters. In addition, readers will not be able to understand what's happening in this book, from plot to character development and relationships, without having read the first book.

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and I still thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I really enjoyed the first book of this series so I was very excited to read the second. It did not disappoint! I really enjoyed where the author took the story and I really connected to the main character. I will be recommending this book to my friends.

I hate writing reviews especially when its of books that just co I ldnt hold my interest. I just felt lost in this. Maybe I'm in a reading slump.

Title: WARMAIDENS
Author: Kelly Coon
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press/Random House
Publication Date: October 20, 2019

@delacortepress
@kellycoon106

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

“A dark, delectable, and utterly unique series that readers will want to drown in.” —Laura Sebastian, New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Princess series

Warmaidens is the action packed follow up to Kelly Coon Gravemaidens.
This was a wonderful thrilling adventure. I loved Gravemaidens, and this next installment did not disappoint. Stunning world building, engaging fight scenes.
Great continuous character development. Kammani, growth is definitely noticeable.The author has created a remarkable Ya Fantasy concept that will appeal to a large audience of readers. Seamless narration the flows perfectly, it was easy to follow along and be encased within the novel it’s self.

Excited to see more books from this very talented author
This novel will satisfy all Ya Fantasy readers. I will be recommending it to my family and friends

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#gravemaidens #warmaidens #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #alwayscozyforeverbooks #kellycoon #upcomingbook #duology

This sequel is as exciting and deadly as the first book!

Kammani as a healer has sworn to do no harm, but when news of the atrocities committed by the new lugal reaches her, she decides she must act. If they don’t, there will be war with another city. Kammani with the help of Dagan (swoon) and the other Gravemaidens form a plan to take the lugal down from the inside.

Kammani’s struggles to use her skills for death instead of healing fester throughout the book until the climax. The strong female friendships shine as well as a strong dose of feminism and consent. Women choosing their own futures is a wonderful theme that will stay with the reader. The romance between Kammani and Dagan simmers until it finally boils over.

This book was somehow better than the first! I really enjoyed how it picked up right where the previous left off and, even though I read it a while ago, I was able to keep up with the story and the characters. I have to say that this book is enthralling, exciting and action-packed. A lot happened over the course of this book and I legitimately couldn’t put it down. I love the subtle hints of mythology that are thrown in as I am a huge fan of any kind of mythology. The romance in this book does get a strong spotlight and I can’t say that I minded it at all!

This story gradually built itself up to ending on such a high note! The plot flushed out very well from the first page. Every chapter it kept gaining momentum and kept me wanting to know more!

Kammani grew so much since Gravemaidens and she never gave up on their end goal to rid Uruku of his unofficial cruel rule. I liked that Kammani always tried to look for the non-bloodshed solution and stuck by that until the end. Although, it sadly had to end with bloodshed she never stood down and stood her ground for the people's future.

I LOVED Iltani so much! Her character was so funny and brought a great personality to the story. I loved how she is the complete opposite of Kammani, personality wise, but they work so perfectly together. Their friendship is great and you see how much they truly care for one another.

Dagan and Kammani's relationship is so cute. They care for each other so much and I love that Dagan gave Kammani the space to think about his offer to marry her. I love that their relationship grew steadily across the book and ended wonderful. My heart was so happy! They are made for each other.

Uruku is a great antagonist character and gave me the creeps. He was so ruthless and evil.

I'm so pleased with how this duology ended and enjoyed my time reading each book tremendously!

I remember reading Gravemaidens last year and loving it. This year I got approved again to read the sequel called Warmaidens which continues the story of Kammani our brave and defiant A-zu and Ariwa the displaced queen of Alu. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed continuing to read about Dagan's and Kammani's continued commitment to each other while trying to take down the usurper king of Alu. I would have liked to see an actual marriage between them at the end of the book instead of the commitment ceremony but I understand why they did it like that and kudos to Dagan to being a committed and supportive partner.

This book brings back some of the cast of Gravemaidens and introduces a ton of new characters to the plot. Some of them I felt I could have done without their brief storylines and really I wouldn't have even missed them from the story. I get that Rish losing his arm was needed to show how brutal the soldiers are but come on he's a little boy he didn't need to go through that. I did enjoy Iltani's and Gala's storyline and I wish she would have given that poor man a chance even though she was forced into the marriage. It's a shame that he died doing something she asked him to do and she didn't even care that he died.

I really relished this duology and definitely recommend picking it up if you haven't had the chance to yet.

After reading Gravemaidens, I wasn't sure how there was going to be a sequel. After reading it, I now realize there was a lot more that needed to get done after the maidens fled the tomb. 

I really enjoyed Gravemaidens and was excited to hop back into this story. Warmaidens takes place nine months after they escaped the tomb and fled Alu to Manzazu. In those nine months we see the changes these characters have gone through, especially in Kammani's sister, Nanea. Nanea went from a wishful thinking child to a more mature women very quickly. Escaping death might do that to you. 

I found myself not liking Kammani in this book in comparison to Gravemaidens. I'm not sure what about her rubbed me the wrong way, but I was really frustrated reading through some of her thought processes. It was always brought back to being a healer and wanting to not do any harm. I felt like that was her only personality trait and it was so repetitive. Any time something happened that she was involved in, it was always brought back to this thought point. I wanted more out of her personality than that and I thought we lost some of her from Gravemaidens.

I can say though that I appreciate her growth through this book a lot. Her ability to change her viewpoint allows her to continue to develop her relationship with Dagan and Nanea in a more loving and fulfilling way. It was so sweet. 

Another thing I didn't really care much for are the fighting scenes. Again, not sure what about them rubbed me the wrong way, but I wasn't a fan. Except for the final fight scene - that was intense! I also didn't like the pacing. It was a quick book, but it felt like it dragged at some points. It ended up being the same sequence of events. Plan, attack, fail, retreat - over and over again and it got repetitive. Maybe that was the point as Kammani is stuck in this loop and tries to find her way out and save herself and her friends? But it was rough reading. 

Plus, with all the jumbledness of their failed attacks and other people's interference, the book felt jumbled as well. I liked the character growth, I liked the ending, and I liked certain scenes, but the book has some issues. 

Warning: there are remarks of rape and an attempted rape. There is also a comment of someone being "broken" after losing an arm. This definitely was hard to read through and didn't feel right, so I did want to make note of that. Other possibly concerning things discussed are child brides and the common mention of the lack of rights for women. I understand why this was included in the book and it is discussed, but this might be upsetting so I wanted to include it. 

Overall, it was an interesting book. I wanted to reach inside the story and nicely smack some of the characters but unfortunately, I can't. But, it was a quick read that nicely wrapped up the series for me, even if there was a lot going on. So I think I'm gonna give this a 3.5 // 5 stars.

We enter back into Kammani's world nine months after their escape from the tomb and life is good for them. I really liked the beginning and thought it was really cute seeing how everyone had changed and what they were doing now. I liked the progression from just chilling, living life to we gotta start a war! Very fun.

I found myself not liking Kammani in this book (more so than Gravemaidens) and it was mostly due to her inability to compromise. Though I understand why she didn't want to compromise on those fronts, her actions caused more harm in my opinion. It was just kind of annoying.

One thing I did appreciate about this book though was Kammani's journey regarding marriage. She lets herself figure out what marriage would mean for her and Dagan; how it would affect both of them in the long run. It takes a lot of growth to look at your fears and recognize that they are valid, but also not necessarily something to stop you from being with the person you love.

Overall, it was an interesting book. I wanted to reach inside the story and nicely smack some of the characters, but that would defeat the purpose of reading. I thought that the pacing, while good, would get jumbled up from each failed plot point. After four attempts or so, I was kind of bored. But, it was a quick read that nicely wrapped up the series for me. So while I would give this a 3.5 // 5 stars, I'll round up to 4.

Duologies are a blessing. You get a bit more out of the characters you’ve met and gotten to know but don’t have to commit to a long series. One of the main reasons that I read the first book of this series Gravemaidens was because I thought that the cover was absolutely gorgeous and the synopsis had me intrigued. I really loved the idea behind the book itself. The world that author, Kelly Coon created for this story is great. I instantly got a vivid picture of the world and the people. There are a handful of key characters. I really love the idea of being healer and using her talents to try to save her sister. Although, I found the only one that really interesting was Kammani. Now here we are a year later. I always worry about the second book in a series. They're either the best or the worst.

The writing is as crisp, fresh, and intimate as the first book. Luscious similes and lyrical descriptions are ever-present but just like the first one, I found it to be slow to start and, arguably, doesn't find its stride until the midpoint. There were some parts of the book that really grabbed my attention with some dark fantasy but in reality I thought the story with pretty slow.

This conclusion is a satisfying warmth in the belly. There's just something about the series in general that will be very forgettable.

Warmaidens, the sequel to Gravemaidens, was an excellent conclusion to the series. It picks up right where Gravemaidens left off, with Kammani and her friends escaping Alu to start a new live. Kammani is now able to gain a reputation as a healer and explore her feelings for Dagan, while Nanaea and the other maidens are free from their fate. However, developments in Alu require Kammani and her friends to return to Alu to put Nin Arwia back on the throne to save the city from Uruku.

For some reason, I was less interested in the plot than I was while reading Gravemaidens. I was never sure what direction the plot was going, while I was always sure of it in the first book. I also felt less connected to the characters and their emotions. (For example, I didn’t notice Kammani’s and Nanaea’s bond as sisters very much, while sisterly love was a very strong subplot in Gravemaidens).

So, I did appreciate this book for providing a nicely wrapped up conclusion for the characters, whom I am very attached to. Unfortunately, though, I was more interested in the ending than I was reading any individual scene. 3.5/5 stars.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than Gravemaidens! Though I did not expect a second book, this was definitely more enjoyable. I still felt that this book lacked something, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. Better character development maybe?

This was a great read. The prose, dialogue and cover had me at hello. I loved this story. My attention was held the entire time. I flew through the story in one sitting. The character arc was very well done. I recommend this one.

Wow, this cover blew me away! The stunning cover definitely drew me in, as did the promise of hearing the conclusion of Kammani’s story. This book didn’t disappoint, but neither did it exceed my expectations. It was well written, and I could tell a lot of time and thought had gone into it, but I still failed to connect with the characters. Even so, it was still fun to watch their story unfold. I also loved the cultural aspect of the novel. The richly described setting and religious system were definite boons to the story, and I liked to see Kammani come to trust in her gods, her friends, and even herself. Dagan was also very caring, and I hope his informal relationship with Kammani continues to pan out in the direction they want it to. The final chapter, which reveals Uruku’s new position, was definitely satisfying. I would recommend Warmaidens to readers who read and enjoyed Gravemaidens. It was an decent read, and worth it for the closure it brought to Kammani’s story.

I read and received an ARC from Netgalley, opinions are my own.

Thank you so much for an eARC of this seriously stunning book! I liked but didn't love the first book in the series, and was interested to see where the plot would go. Sadly, I just don't think that these books are for me and don't want to publish a negative review on my blog. Thank you again for the opportunity to read this early, but it was a DNF for me.