Cliffhangers. Man, I just hate ‘em, but they’re effective. I definitely want the next one now 😂

I read A Cursed Son from Netgalley and enjoyed it, so obviously I went for this one when it was released.

So for those of you who don’t like multi POV and loved the first one because of the single character POV…. I have bad news.

I personally LOVE multi PoV but I also tend to read hundreds of pages in a sitting, and it’s easy to remember who’s doing what. I imagine that makes a difference. This isn’t a stop and go book or you may forget what’s happening. There are 7? POV. You read that right. I am here for it!!

I digress. The plot is definitely a bit more complicated than a lot of beginning fantasy books, but that isn’t an issue for me. Some of these romances that conveniently form did seem a bit forced to me based off the storylines. Some of them are very organic and really fun to watch, and others feel rushed and not fully developed. This is absolutely my main problem with this book, and it isn’t even that big of a deal to me. The characters are still fun to read about and come alive the more we learn about them.

The rest of this is fun, interesting, and a bit of a roller coaster with some twists. The characters each sound different in their POVs, it’s an entertaining writing style. Some phrases came off a little odd for me, but remember I am reading an ARC and edits could definitely still be made and issues remedied.

The spice is spicin’ y’all. There are several spicy scenes, but sprinkled in well. Nothing too wild, like 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️/5.

Definitely a fun read overall.

There's a lot going on in the second book. We follow a bunch of characters and the story udfoldes in many directions.
I'm a big fan of the fantasy univers Day Leitao has created, and the characters are great, unfortunately "A Traitor Sister" was a bit confusing and I could'nt really keep up what all the happings, names and places.
But you still get all the politics, action and romance you need ;)

3,5 stars, a thanks to NetGalley for the arc (how ever, giving the new type of files, I had to read on my phone - which I did'nt like ;) )

One note before the review: In Chapter 18, Ether is one time referred to as Ethan.

The review:
A Traitor Sister is a worthy follow-up to A Cursed Son, expanding the world, deepening the intrigue, and introducing new perspectives that make the story even more compelling. While Astra and Marlak remain central, this book broadens its scope with additional POVs from Tarlia, Zivan, Lidiane, Azur, and Renel, giving us a more layered and complex narrative.

The plot leans further into political intrigue and the uncovering of magical secrets, revealing that the dangers lurking in this world go far beyond what we first imagined. The expansion of the story’s conflicts and the introduction of even more formidable villains kept me riveted, adding tension and mystery to every chapter.

Despite the heavier focus on court politics and magic’s deeper mysteries, romance is still very much present. New relationships begin to form, while existing ones evolve in intriguing ways, adding an emotional core to the story that balances the high-stakes intrigue.

Day Leitao once again delivers immersive storytelling, weaving together magic, secrets, and shifting alliances in a way that kept me hooked. If you enjoyed A Cursed Son, this sequel is a must-read—I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

Aaaahhhh! What a book, what an ending 😱

After finishing the cursed son I dived straight into the A Traitor Sister, and I’m so glad I did, there’s SO MUCH going on that a break between books would be impossible without a re-read - which is what I’m going to need to do before book 3 is released 🥲

We pick straight up in the action after book 1 left us with Astra and Marlak separated, she’s been taken to the “acting king’s” moving castle - I absolutely loved the underlying story of the castle moving, it gave me Howls Moving Castle vibes, without ripping it off at all! I loved how Astra was connected to the Amethyst Palace (her ancestral home) which was connected to the Crystal Castle (Marlak’s rightful throne).

I loved the dual POVs, I usually give up where there’s multiple POVs as you spend too long with one character and forget the others or you’ll have a characters POV you’re not interested in but that was the not the case here, every single characters POV was written at the right length and was so integral to the story!

I’m left with so many hopes and questions, I’m routing for all the budding relationships but especially Loraine and Azul 🥹
I’m intrigued as to what’s happening with Mirielle and Zorwal - the scheming man who will not stay dead?!
Is Renel as bad as we all think or has he actually made the biggest sacrifice for Marlak? I feel like Renel has been cowardly and I want to see him redeem himself!!

Such a good book with an incredibly unique story, I loved every moment and I’m gutted to wait for the next book but I know it will be so worth the wait, that ending is enough to have me completely invested!!

Fabulous sequel to A Cursed Son. Continues to build the story of Astra. Love the direction that this takes as well. Definitely recommend!

I was so excited to continue reading the banter between these two. I also loved the insight into the other characters. I was nervous at first with how quickly the perspectives changed. But as I continued I really loved getting to hear about what they were doing. Most likely my favorite world I've read so far this year! I am looking forward to getting the audiobook when it's available!

I flew through book 2! I was anxious to start this after finishing the audiobook of A Cursed Son. We pick up where left off knowing that Marlak didn’t betray Astra at the end of book 1. As Astra works to free Marlak, we get to follow other characters POVs like Tarlia and Ziven’s. I greatly enjoyed getting to see Astra become more confident in herself, realizing the scheming of those she’s known her whole life as well as develop and use her magic. I was pleasantly surprised by the end with who she ends up unlikely allies with. I’m very curious to find out more about her heritage from the Witch King.

I desperately wanted to end this book with Marlak and Astra together again so I was a bit disappointed when we realize she’s disappeared. However, I’m very much looking forward to learning more about this in the 3rd book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Day Leito for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I got into this without knowing it was 2nd book in the series and it did not hinder me at all in following the story. Jumping into an already established universe can sometimes be tricky. But this was not one of those times. Took me a minute to figure out who's who and what's what but after that it was nothing but smooth sailing.

I will admit I did not read the blurb before going in so I had no idea what to expect out of the book. Totally went in on the cover alone. And boy oh boy was I surprised. In a good way naturally. And the more I read the better it got. The story, the characters it was all absolutely beautiful. I'll definitely be reading the 1st book and I can not wait for the next one because this one absolutely left me wanting more. And that's the best endorsement a book can get

I really loved reading this book and I can not wait for more by this author!! I flew through this book because it was that good. The author did an amazing job keeping the plot interesting without it getting boring or slow. I will be recommending this book to all of the family and friends.

4.5 stars for an exciting, action-packed book 2!!

We pick up right where we left off from book one in a moment of high intensity, and we don’t stop going until that last page with some reveals that made my jaw DROP. This book was filled with twists and turns, an expanded world, an exciting collection of POVs that created more depth for some side characters we loved (and some we hated), and so much of what we loved from book 1!

In addition to Astra and Marlak, this time we got action (and some extra romance) from Marlak’s brother and enemy (but should he be) Renel, Renel’s bound guardian rocking a cool hat Azur, Astra’s decoy sister/friend Tarlia, dressmaker with a secret Lidiane, and lazy prince searching for purpose Ziven. The story really takes its time, letting us see what’s happening with all the characters at each moment, letting us have 3 or even 4 individual storylines happening chronologically at once. This absolutely made it easier to feel like I was in the world with them, fighting ghouls in the shadow lands or going on a rescue mission or hiding in plain sight. Each of the characters got their moments to shine, and often their moments where they didn’t shine. Day has done a magnificent job creating a cast of really complicated characters, some who do bad for good reasons, some who do good for bad reasons, some with their secrets, and some with their motives written on their face.

Not only were the characters so well-developed, the plot was exciting and left me guessing which path it would take. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong, but all the time I was HERE for it!

There were just a couple of small editing errors that should be checked (specifically about names- a Nara/Nora and an Ethan/Ether confusion- but bigger one about a certain nickname for a certain decoy and who knows what and when), but knowing this was an advance copy means those should be seen :)

Thank you so much to Day Leitao and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review! I’m loving the series and can’t wait to learn more about book three…

4.5 ⭐️ “Loving you is like breathing”

Sequel to A Cursed Son. This book provides us with 6 POVs. We also get some new characters in the mix that were easy to love ( like a fae with cat ears. ) The characters are in multiple locations so the different POVs provide necessary prospective and really add to the story. The world building was great and I felt like I was in the story myself visualizing everything. It is nonstop action and information. I love the unique magic system. Finding a place to stop reading for doing boring things like sleeping etc was difficult but I’m not complaining. So many plot twists-I’m excited to see how the next book will play out. Looking forward to the kickstarter next week because I might need to add these physical copies to my shelf.

📖Book Review: *A Traitor Sister*
✍️ Author: Day Leitao
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This second book in this steamy romantasy series had big shoes to fill from a solid start in book one. The relationship between Astra and Marlak’s whitty banter and chemistry was palpable. The framework of the world was set up fairly well if not limited in scope.

Book two was refreshing in that it gave us an expanded world, multiple POV’s and plenty of spice. Where I think it left me wanting was the pacing and what felt like a compression of the story.

I would have liked to see some of the story lines more flushed out across multiple books as opposed to compressing the multiple new relationships into this book. Further, the fact that the entire novel takes place across a few days almost comes across as unbelievable given the extent of content that it covers.

I love the way the magic system was explained in greater detail, the character development of Renel and Astra’s journey continued. I just feel as though it could have been a narrower scope to give the reader a greater perspective on Astra before we dove into other characters and their journeys.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sparkly Wave and Day Leitao for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the first book and was dying for this one, and Day Leitao did not disappoint! Adding the extra POVs was a great choice and made the story so much more immersive, as was the spice!!!!!! I could not be happier with this book and can't wait for more!

Book 2 was perfect, more POVs, more spice, more everything that pulled me in fron book 1!
Highly recommend

5⭐️
3🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Sparkly Wave for a copy of this e-arc!

Book 1, A Cursed Son, was great for me. Book 2 here, was FANTASTIC!

Step back into a world where you discover if the villains are really the villains? Is love true love? Heroes really heroes? Sometimes yes, sometimes no!

The author switched it up this round, going to a multiple POV story telling. I LOVED this decision. At first, I was skeptical, but honestly, I loved the side characters POV’s more than Astra and Marlak’s sometimes. We got SO much from these side characters and I loved exploring more of their stories. I think their own side adventures add to the whole overall story going on throughout the book, which is Astra working to find her true self. There was some twist and turns I didn’t expect and others maybe I did, but didn’t take away from the story.

We got a lot more spicy in this book too, which, thank you! One thing I really appreciate about the female characters especially in this story, is they are not ashamed about their sexual pasts. And that their partners don’t shame them either for their thoughts on sex. It’s a refreshing approach to the usual romantasy style writing. It opens up a lot of doors for directions spicy scenes can go.

The one thing that sucks about being an arc reader, is you have to wait EXTRA long for the next book. I’m excited for book 3 and hope it comes out soon!