5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: scifi, fantasy, assassin MCs, healing stories, reluctant heroes, 'hates everyone but her' trope, strong friendships

This review has been posted to Goodreads and has been posted to my review blog as of 10/6 and to Instagram as of 10/7.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed Cold the Night, but still gave it just 4 stars instead of 5 just because there were parts I thought dragged or fell flat. This book, however, definitely makes up for that. There's a lot of action in this book and a lot of character development (plus, I think the plot works better for those things in this one) that helps keep this book from having the same issues as the first one. Plus, Remy is the MC.

The entire book takes place on Maraas, which is pretty much the climatological opposite of Tundar in every way. Maraas is a jungle planet with a planet-sized storm that is growing ever larger and more dangerous with each passing day. The city is split into a couple of different areas, and we get to spend at least a little time in all of them. The first area we see is clearly the elite/government area since it's clean, well-serviced, and doesn't seem like it struggles with the storms. The second one is a more rundown area that's suffered from the recent unrest and has some rebuilding to do after the storms. Then there's the 'sprawl,' an area that exists partially in the jungle and is a mix of buildings and platforms that go from the ground into the trees and are connected by bridges. I really liked the imagery of this area the best since it speaks so much to a city in the trees and it's an interesting concept. The whole of the city is really struggling due to the power change since Remy had last been there, and not only is that evident in the syndicate-corpo unbalance, but it's also evident in how run down things are and how eager people are to jump into a fight against the corpos.

This hotbed of rebellion is naturally where Remy needs to be and also where she runs into Kiran, who's running his own kind of game, and it's where a lot of Remy's memories of her friend surface. Remy has a lot to deal with in this book, a lot of which center around what exactly happened two years ago and her feelings about the event. She feels quite guilty about not being there for her friend and being able to prevent what occurred, and that guilt drives who she wants to be. At the same time, she struggles with thinking things through to their conclusions and often winds up in situations that don't always end well, which feeds back into her guilt and her feelings of not being a good friend (to Sena or Alora). On the other hand, she's pretty furious at Kiran for his role in things and her anger at him does help drive her to make a distinction between who she was, who she can be, and who she wants to be.

I think Remy is a good friend to Sena and Iska, and I think she was a good friend to Alora. When she first met Alora, she was still fully under Nova's thumb and was being a 'good little genopath.' Meeting Alora woke her up and the two years since have involved her deconstructing the trauma of her past and trying to do better. This book is very much about Remy healing, and that's a process that's still ongoing during this book, so she does make mistakes, but the important thing is that she's able to acknowledge when it happens and identify potential areas of improvement.

Sena is (obviously) back in this book as well. She gets some more answers about her family and gets to flex some of her survival and fighting skills. It was good to see her around other people than the ones from Tundar, and I liked that she seemed to get along with some of the other rebels. I would've liked seeing more of her and Iska after the first third or so, but also understand that this is Remy's story and it couldn't've all happened with them together.

Kiran is an interesting character. Remy does not have a good view on him and pretty much always assumes he's being manipulative and double-crossing, and when we meet him it does seem that way (especially knowing why things ended badly for Remy on Maraas). At the same time though, as a reader who can read the narrative and not just Remy's thoughts, Kiran does seem to be helping the rebellion and he does seem to care about Remy. Their interactions and shared experiences were interesting to read about and I liked the dynamic that the two of them built up over the course of the book.

Lyria is another new character and is the leader of the rebellion on Maraas. She has her own reasons for hating the corpos, separate from the ones already established by Sena and Remy. The girl clearly knows her stuff and is good at getting people to organize under a common cause. She inserts a good amount of playfulness to things while still managing to come across as serious when she needs to.

The ending of this book definitely leaves things open for another sequel, which I'm so hoping will happen. While things are wrapped up on Maraas, much like how the story on Tundar was wrapped up in one book, there's a greater potential for the characters, both returning ones like Remy and Sena, as well as new ones like Kiran and Lyria. TerraCorp and Nova are both returning players in this one, both with their own nasty agenda, so I'm curious to see what'll happen if there's another book and where their plans will take the world and the characters.

One thing I will say is that I guessed pretty much all of the major 'twists' pretty much as soon as they were introduced. There's two character ones that I pegged from the beginning, and then there's a plot-related one that I had a guess about that turned out to be correct. For me it didn't take away from the reading experience, though there were moments when I was like ?? really Remy???

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. There's a lot of action going on and we get introduced to some new characters while still following Remy, Sena, and Iska. I really liked being in Remy's head while she went on her journey of healing from Nova's trauma. It is a bit predictable, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment for me.

After a mission that went awry two years ago, Remy is hellbent to find her missing friend. She sets out on a mission with a group all the while the worlds on the brink of destruction.

I sadly couldn’t get into this book. It took me a while. I stepped back, came back, stepped back again and then forced myself to finish. The best parts didn’t happen till the second half. I also felt a disconnect to the characters, which is probably while I struggled.

Just like the authors first book, this book revolves around more of world building.. which I love how in-depth she goes to bring it to life and makes the story as a whole much more explained without losing track. (less)

I was introduced to Meg Long's descriptive prose in the stunning Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves. The world building is outstanding and the story line mesmerizing. I'm happy to say she's taken that world to new heights in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame. Remy Castell, a support character in the previous book, takes center stage in this book as she's on a mission to find the friend she was forced to leave behind - the friend who helped her recover from the brainwashing she was forced into as a genetically engineered corporate agent. Remy was betrayed by her genopath partner Kiran Lore and left for dead. Now it seems she must seek out his help if there's any hope of finding her friend and saving a planet even though it means returning to the jungle planet of Marass that is plagued by a hellstorm that's growing larger by the day. Danger lurks everywhere . . . perhaps most in the man whose help she seeks. He portrayed her once . . . can she trust him now?

The highly atmospheric setting in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame steals the show at every turn. Long's world building stretches the imagination and yet is unbelievably realistic. It's all-consuming in every way - tantalizing all five senses to the point that readers are drawn into the battles taking place. The plot line and characters are larger than life and yet somehow feel so authentic that you believe every word you're reading. I love the inclusion of characters from the previous book, especially Sena and her vonenewolf Iska with whom this whole thing started. The author has expanded the world and broadened the reach of characters while blending the past with the present. The pace is insane in this action packed story and so intense that I found myself holding my breath at times.

Meg Long has rendered another fantastic otherworldly story in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame and reeled me into it. While young adult fantasy isn't my go-to genre, I found myself trapped alongside these characters, battling my way through to the final page. Long's expertise at building vivid, larger than life worlds is nothing short of brilliant as is her talent for delivering fascinating, complex characters readers pull for. Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is an intense, vivid, gritty story I highly recommend to fans of fantasy and sci-fi.

4.25 stars.

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is just as exhilarating as its predecessor, Meg Long’s debut young adult fantasy, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. Smart, with intricate plotting, Swift the Storm is a fascinating story with characters who reflect the well-developed world Long has created.

In Cold the Night, we met Sena on the unforgiving frozen planet of Tundar as she fought to stay alive and escape the planet with some help from the friends she made along the way. One of those friends was Remy. In Swift the Storm, we pick up almost where Cold the Night left off, but with Remy’s point of view and her story as she searches for a lost friend, following the only lead she has—ex-squadmate Kiran—through the jungles and storms on planet Maraas.

Swift the Storm gave me Lunar Chronicles vibes as Remy is genetically engineered, which reminded me of Cinder. Long does a great job of creating flawed characters who learn from their mistakes, and it’s always rewarding to take the journey along with them as they recognize and adapt to those flaws.

It had been a year since I read Cold the Night, and I’d forgotten much of what happened. I refreshed myself on a few characters, but it wasn’t really necessary. Everything you need to know for Swift the Storm is within its pages. BUT I still recommend reading Cold the Night simply because it’s good!

Sena and her wolf Iska from Cold the Night are present throughout the story, so that’s fun, as well. But we are introduced to some great new characters, too, which I look forward to getting to know better in the next book. And there HAS to be a next book because Long left us on a bit of a cliffhanger. I’m hoping the next book will share both Sena’s and Remy’s points of view, as both of their stories seem unfinished.

While Cold the Night had no romance or love interest—or none that was obvious—Swift the Storm does. It’s not a huge part of the story until the end, but as a fan of romance, I was loving the inclusion. And rooting for them, as well.

Pick this one up if you’re a fan of strong female characters as they fight against insurmountable odds alongside a group of dedicated friends who dare to find their footing in an unstable world among natural and human challenges! And a little bit of romance sprinkled in, of course.

Meg Long's newest work was delightful to read. Great world building, fast paced plot, great narrations by the main character, Remy, and just overall fun. Meg Long's writing style is enjoyable. The characters are relatable and believable. Often with sci-fi/fantasy novels, it can take a bit to get into the story, but from the moment I started chapter one, I couldn't put this book down.

Fans of sci-fi, a great story, fast paced plot, and good writing will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Literally all the stars. So good, easily going to be one of my favorite reads of 2023. I loved Meg Long's debut, and this companion/sequel was SO DAMN GOOD. I'm such a sucker for SF dystopian books, and this one just hit all the marks and I need more. I really hope there is another book (or books) because these characters and this world is so amazing and I need more.

Wowowowowowowowowoww ok where do I even start with this one??

Ok, first things first: I did NOT know this was a companion novel to Meg’s first novel. I think if I had read that one first I would’ve had a better grasp of the story in the beginning, but I eventually caught on.

The first 20% was super slow for me. It was a lot of world-building, and I almost put it down. I am SO SO SO GLAD I DIDNT BECAUSE HOLY HELL.

Can I just say that Meg has ruined my life? She’s actually ruined my life with this book. I couldn’t fall asleep after I finished this book. I was too emotionally destroyed to gather my thoughts.

The imagery in this book is astounding. I was transported to the setting with Remy, Lyria, Sena, Iska and Kiran. I swear I could feel the dampness and mud on my body and clothes. Also, the characters omg. I almost never remember character names after I finish a book (I read way too much for that) but these ones have STUCK with me. I am INVESTED.

Listen, I need a sequel to this book like yesterday. As soon as I finished it, I needed a sequel. I’m not sure what the author’s plans are for a future novel, but Meg, if you read this, I am BEGGING you on my hands and knees to write a sequel to this book. Don’t write a companion novel. I need way more of Remy and Kiran.

This is one of the best YA fantasy sci-fi books I’ve read in a while. I don’t typically love sci-fi books but I gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did. I didn’t think this book was going to be a 5 star book for me but it absolutely blew me out of the water. Thank you for ruining my life, Meg.

Read this book!!! That is all.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC. I can never repay you. My review is live on Goodreads and Amazon. I’ll post it during Pub week!

*******spoiler alert******
I will absolutely die if they don’t kiss. I need another book to resolve everything that’s been left.

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame, is author Meg Long's sequel to Cold Night, Fast Wolves. Genetically engineered from animal and human parts by Nova Corp., Remy Castell looks human, but her body can heal quickly, and she has better reflexes and strength than others. Remy was trained to be a corporate spy. She's an expert at infiltration, sensing people's emotions, physical reactions, and body language. But then a mission that had her infiltrate a syndicate gang ended with Remy becoming true friends with her mark, Sena Korhosen and her vonenewolf Iska, and everything changed.

Two years ago, Remy's genopath partner, Kiran Lore, discovered Remy's intentions to stop their mission. He left her for dead in the jungles of Maraas and disappeared with the girl Remy promised to save. Two years later, Remy is still chasing Kiran across worlds, trying to find her lost friend, Alora. After nearly catching him on Tundar before the infamous sled race, Remy follows Kiran back to the same jungle planet of Maraas where everything started. Maraas is a lush, jungle planet plagued by one ginormous hellstorm which resets the landscape every two weeks and Nova and Terraco are at war with the syndicates.

Nothing on Maraas is how it was two years ago. A megolamaniac corpo director, Weiland, now has an iron grip on the world after overthrowing Dekkard. The whole city is struggling due to the syndicate-corpo unbalance. People are eager to jump into a fight against the corpos. It's a time bomb that Remy wants nothing to do with. When Remy finally finds Kiran in the midst of the chaos, instead of running again, he offers her a deal: help with the revolution and in exchange, he'll tell her exactly where her lost friend is. But how can Remy trust a boy that betrayed her once before?

Kiran seems to be working alongside Lyria, the leader of the rebellion on Maraas against Director Weiland. She has her own reasons for hating the corpos. With the giant hellstorm that encircles the planet growing stronger by the minute and entire planet on the edge of all-out war, Remy will have to decide just how far she's willing to go to save one girl before the impending storm drowns them all. There is a cleverly revealed surprise in store for readers, as well as an emotional one as well. So, be prepared for anything and everything to happen.

Sena is (obviously) back in this book as well. Sena now has a major bounty on her head for taking down a syndicate Boss who killed her mothers. She gets some more answers about her family and gets to flex some of her survival and fighting skills. Kiran is an interesting character. Kiran seems to be helping the rebellion and he does seem to care about Remy as they both survived numerous attempts at being brainwashed by Nova. Their interactions and shared experiences culminate in a shocking cliffhanger ending which is why I say to you, neither this book, or the first book, are standalone.

I really enjoyed Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, so I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame.

As it was with Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame had immersive world building that pushed beyond what we first saw in Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. It was atmospheric and entrancing. Meg Long has built such an intricate and cruel world, and I would love to read anything else she write solely for the world building.

I was hesitant when I saw that this was Remy’s story, as I hadn’t connected well with Remy in Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. But I really enjoyed Remy as a narrator. She had a fun sense of humor that had me cackling multiple times.

As with Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, I did struggle with the pacing of this book a bit. But overall it was a fantastic follow up.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame was a fast past, adventure romp with a lot of heart. It is technically a companion novel to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves but I think readers will get more out of it if they read Cold the Night before Swift the Storm. I know that it had been a bit since I had read Cold the Night and it took me a while to remember everything I knew about Remy.

While I didn't like Swift the Storm as much as I loved Cold the Night, I still highly recommend this second novel by Meg Long. A lot of the same elements that made me fall in love with Cold the Night are done just as well in Swift the Storm. Long's world building and her ability to make you feel like you are there is amazing. I live in a very humid climate and reading about Maraas almost have me sweating. It's also refreshing to read YA that doesn't have romance as one of the main arcs. While there is a bit more romance in Swift the Storm than there was in Cold the Night, the focus is still on friendships and found family.

If you're looking for an enjoyable adventure novel, this should hit all the right notes.

I was super excited to see the next installment of Sena & Iska's adventure. This time, Meg Long has us following Remy across the planet of Marras in search of her first real friend and on a mission of revenge against her ex-partner from NOVA. While the shift from Sena's perspective took me a few chapters to get over (because I just LOVED Sena), Remy had a very specific voice. She was impulsive most of the novel, which was in-line with her genes and yet, emotional, which was not. Her erratic behavior, her lack of of forethought, and her single-minded drive was the driving factor behind the story. Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is another novel in this series about found family; but it is also about rediscovery, self-awareness, and the weight of promises both to those we love and to ourselves. I am looking forward to the next adventure this growing band of misfits will be embarking on next!

While packed with action, it is not a harrowing adventure like Cold the Night. I deeply missed the bond between Sena and Iska, who are still along for the ride. However, Remy is just as compelling a character. Her loyalty runs deep and she is impulsive. More importantly, I was not as aggrieved by her decisions like I was with Sena's decisions in the first book. (Heh...)

Fierce the Storm further expands the plot as political intrigue and revolution serve as the backdrop to finding Remy's friend. It helped me make connections, forcing me to look beyond each book's plot to see a bigger picture. It was an exciting read, and I am more than ready for the next book.

Meg Long does it again! Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is a fantastic novel on par with its predecessor. The story is thrilling and the relationships between the characters are genuine and dynamic. While not exactly a coming of age story we do experience the realization and understanding of the protagonist’s self and feelings. I can’t wait for the next installment!

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame has excellent world building and a compelling writing style that hooks you from the get-go. Although it had a dynamic plot, I didn’t connect with Remy and the rest of the characters as much as in the previous novel. I did find many things to like and am anxious to see what else Meg Long puts out in the future.

So to start this review I think I need to mention that I didn’t read the first book in this series since I didn’t have knowledge of the series before Negalley provided me with this ARC and that directly influenced how I felt about this book. Specifically, I struggled to connect with the characters that readers that read the first book will have built up a relationship with. However, despite not feeling an overly strong connection to the characters I thought the world building for this story was very well done. This book is a YA sci-fi novel that takes place in a lush and humid jungle where you are constantly covered in mud and sweat, juxtaposed against genetically altered humans, metal structures, interplanetary gangs and evil Corpos. Remy, Sena, and Iska (a larger than normal wolf)crash land on a Corpo controlled jungle planet in the hopes that Remy can find her lost friend and they end up helping the Syndicates, essentially the space equivalent to the Mob, with their rebellion against the Corpos. The story started off a bit slow for me but, as it progresses the pacing picks up as the main action segments begin and I found those to be really fun to read. Remy was not my favorite main character and I think that partially stems from her being a genetically altered human specifically made for gathering intel which made her pretty terrible at interacting with other people on a more basic human level. Despite that I did think that the female friendships were done really well. I loved the way that Remy eventually learned to rely on her friends and the other strong women around her, and I thought she had some decent character growth by the end of the novel. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA sci-fi with extra girlpower.

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is a sequel to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, and shares many of the first volume's strengths and weaknesses. The scene-setting is excellent, dropping Remy, an enhanced agent on the hunt for a friend she was forced to abandon, and Sena (and her wolf) into a jungle planet where an ever-widening storm threatens to destroy the lives of the ordinary people scrapping out a life on the edges of corporate dominance. Just like Sena in Cold the Night, though, Remy spends much of the novel trying to avoid getting involved in the conflict she is already involved in, wasting pages and pages on pointless avoidance. The stacking reveals about the identity of a rebel leader feel forced and unnecessary, and take away significantly from the momentum of Remy and Sena's story. Sena becomes not just a sidekick but a background character in this installment, which was disappointing. Nonetheless, as a parable about environmental destruction and the damage corporate interests do, it is a fun read. Likely to be popular with teens who feel like snapping their teeth at the world, Swift the Storm is better than the average YA novel, if not quite as good as it could be.

Content warning: gun violence, weather disasters, blood, explosions, loss of parents, colonialism, implied nonconsensual medical experimentation, mentions of torture. There is a wolf. The wolf experiences some peril, but the wolf does not die or suffer permanent injury

Once again, Meg Long takes the reader on a journey that is full of feeling, fun worldbuilding, and the complexity of friendship and surviving trauma. Sena and her wolf, Iska, are side characters in this adventure told from Remy’s point of view. It takes them to Maraas, a lush, jungle planet plagued by a hellstorm which rests the landscape every two weeks and the corporations at war with the syndicates. Remy searches for a good friend who she lost several years ago, and that might mean teaming up with the boy who betrayed their partnership at the same time.

Excellently paced, intriguing, and healing, I really enjoyed this return to Long’s slice of the cosmos, this time in stormy jungle rather than in a frozen tundra.

This book has close to everything: female friendship, corporate wars, coups and intrigue, a very good girl. Once again, I had a blast reading another story in this world. The details are incredible, and the web of corporations, syndicates, and people just trying to get by lends itself well to plot-twisty intrigue. Weiland (I see what you did there) is such a great villain because she fully embodies evil, but the story continually reminds the reader that taking out one head doesn’t kill the hydra of greed. Their goals and objectives will feel familiar as far off-world colonialization and power greed go.

If you’re a fan of the trope of brainwashed, genetically-enhanced spy learns to love and trust people, you are in a treat. Also, good news for people who would prefer their young adult books to be absent of a romance arc: this book has none. Its heart lies with Remy opening herself up to the possibility of another friendship and finding what trust means to her. That journey of healing and recovery really resonated with me. Though one thing I did find rad was the mention of the possibility of a romantic entanglement between Remy and Alora. This is ultimately avoided as Remy isn’t sure where she stands on love and romance, but the intensity of the friendship is palpable throughout the entire novel, especially as more people come into the fold of the brewing rebelling. The same goes with her continued relationship with Sena and mending partnership with Kiran. Having so many friendships at different phases allows for much room for nuance and development. There’s an impressive breadth of emotion presented amid the high octane escapes and fight scenes.

A science fiction adventure with even more espionage and sabotage, with great choreography and world-building the nails a bunch of tropes that make the genre so cool to begin with.

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long
YA Science Fiction
Publication Date: January 17, 2023

I thought because this book was told from a different POV that reading the first book wouldn’t be necessary to understand characters and the setting but, it most definitely was. This book is heavy on worldbuilding, which really is typical of a science fiction book where the events take place on a fictional planet. There were just so many details that I found impossible to discern what was crucial to the story. I’ve now finished the novel and I’m still not entirely certain I 100% grasped how the politics of it all worked but I think I kind of got the basics.

To be honest, I thought about DNFing this several times. It wasn’t until 25% through that it started to grab my attention and that’s because things only barely started to happen. It’s because the characters live in the past. They are motivated by wrongs taking place in the past, they are consumed by past memories and past interactions. It made for the events that were taking place or foreshadowed to lack any sort of anticipation of heightened emotion because despite the significance of what was coming the characters didn’t seem present or act like they were affected by it. The plot was kind of packed into the last few chapters of the book.

The book attempts a plot twist towards the end of the book that felt like the science fiction equivalent of a Day of Our Lives plot.

The book primarily relies on showing rather than telling with a lot of inner monologue during the first portion of the book with the MC dwelling on the past without actually giving too many details of the situations, just generalizations. She is motivated by her love for Adora but the reason was flimsy at best. She also thought she could just show up and threaten someone and they would cower and give her what she wanted. It just didn’t seem realistic at times.

It was a great effort because I actually enjoyed the events that took place in the last few chapters but it just didn’t quite land where I wanted to in terms of overall enjoyment and content. I'm curious enough though to pick up future books in the series.

Title: Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame
Author: Meg Long
Release Date: January 17th, 2023
Page Count: 413
Start Date: January 2nd, 2023
Finish Date: January 16th, 2023

Review:
Story: I really enjoyed this book very much. I found the main character really relatable. The story was fast-paced and action-packed. It was full of intrigue and allure. It was easy to get sucked into this world and crave for more. There were parts I didn't like as much as the rest, but that's with all books. It's also a personal thing for me. I also wish that I could have gotten some more for the end of the book. It makes me think that there will be more books to come in the future! I really hope so.
Characters: I really related to Remy so much. She's got so much guilt over things she felt she did wrong. Especially feeling like she betrayed the only friend she really had. There were traits about her that I didn't really care for, but I completely understood why. I liked her companion and the companion's wolf as well. I wish there were more of her and that I remembered her name.
Critiques: None. Especially not if the book has a sequel eventually.
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The author has another book that I thought I had read. I just found out I didn't. I will definitely be reading it. It might actually be a book before this. I'm not really sure. I kind of hope so. There are things that were referenced in this book that I really would like to see played out.

Swift The Storm, Fierce the Flame is the second book of the series. Last year, I read the first book and absolutely loved it. The first book is about Sena and Iska (from Sena’s point of view). In the second installment, the story is told from Remy’s point of view, a genopath in search of redemption and friendship.

Though the second book is another story with ramifications from the first story, I don’t recommend reading them in different order. Start with book 1 or you might get confused.

The story happens in a different environment where everything is designed to kill you. Remy is in search of a friend, but to find her, she will need to take part of a war she never intended to fight. Friendship and loyalty are tested throughout the book while Remy learns more about her past and herself.

This story is a very fast paced adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The character is impulsive and will always put herself in complicated situations, pushing everyone even herself to the limits. Friendship is a major topic in this book with a layer of a very very slow burn romance. Romance is not the focal point though. I took this story more as being centered around friendship and self discovery. Remy has a very different outbringing and she needs to find herself in order to move forward.

Personally, I enjoyed the story, though I did like the first book a little better. I think what lost its appeal to me in this story is that the self discovery part of the character did come across as annoying at times. Though I understand it was important, a touch less would have been better for me. This is probably the one negative aspect for me. The rest was great.

The ending of this book was amazing and also alludes to another book with a goal that got me super excited. I definitely want to read the next book now. 😊 Overall, I enjoyed the story.