✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 4.02/5 .ᐟ

genuinely mad at how good angel eye is because i tried reading two other books after i finished this and both are annoying me because they don't measure up.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ the main highlight of angel eye, like its predecessor cursebreakers, is very much the characters. adrien desfournraux, of course, was complex and fascinating and even more lovable than he was in the last book. i love the deeper exploration of adrien's akrasia, both in general and specifically how it was affected by the events of cursebreakers. his narrative was concluded perfectly. gennady was my favorite part of angel eye (brooding depressed 20 year old boy is such an excellent trope when he's not the romantic interest), and my one complaint is that i wish he would have appeared more often. his arc is satisfactory, but i do wish it would have been more fleshed out. like what happened to masha? of course, angel eye is from adrien's pov, and he had much bigger things to worry about. the other characters were lovely as well. malise is a gem, and i love that there's so many people in adrien's corner now. he deserves so much love.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ plot .ᐟ riveting, truly, but i do feel that the antagonist is given away too quickly. you can tell from their second or third appearance what's happening, and the suspense lies not in the mystery of the killings but when the characters will find out what the readers have known since chapter five. but i suppose that's a quite accurate depiction of abuse/gaslighting/grooming situations. and regardless, i was incredibly invested in the plotline.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding .ᐟ cursebreakers, as a whole, is somewhat weak on this point. i've been imagining a random ancient rome x steampunk victorian england mashup this entire time, and i genuinely don't know if it's meant to be that. the little explanations of the politics of astrum helped, but not as much as i would have liked. the dark academia/urban fantasy atmosphere is very much there, but there's not a lot that's specific to this series. there's a few modern terms replaced with medieval/french/whatever alternatives (caleche for carriage, etc) and some latin (?) terminology (basilissae, etc), but that's as extensive as the worldbuilding gets. kind of disappointing, as worldbuilding is usually my favorite part of a fantasy, but with how good everything else was, i didn't care that much.

overall, a mesmerizing novel and a mesmerizing series. i would read literally anything with these characters or just something set in the same universe. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy!

A genuinely good sequel to a very good first book. It builds on everything the first book did right, and even improves on some. Despite dealing with serious themes, I did feel that the author wrote them well and had trust that they would give a satisfying ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Madeleine Nakamura's Angel Eye is the gut-wrenching sequel to the excellent 2023 debut Cursebreakers. It's a fast paced, tightly woven thriller, and the first half is absolutely anxiety-inducing and heart-breaking. The themes from the first novel are further explored, giving a nuanced read on addiction, mental illness, and hypersexuality, while also teeming with overwhelming kindness and understanding for battered protagonist Adrien, who just can't seem to catch a break. In this book, his support system grows exponentially, and it's a joy to read amidst the tears.

All the characters from the first novel get their moments to shine, their relationship to Adrien front and center, but it's the new characters that really sell this book and make this a perfect sequel, building on the already strong foundations and creating a perfect gem. Adrien's new keeper is an incredibly intense figure, sharp and terrifying and bigger than life; and his new love interest is just what he needs, sweet and loyal and utterly unafraid, their relationship growing organically and beautifully. There are othere addictions to the cast, all absolutely delightful.

The worldbuilding was really the only thing that I thought had some small problems in the first novel, and here the issues are corrected thanks to a more narrowed focus on the city and its politics. We also lose a bit of the focused academic setting, but it works because it allows for a more thorough exploration.

This book adds on the mental anguish from the first one by adding physical and mental torture, gaslighting, and attempted rape; as such, one might want to proceed with caution, but it's a rewarding read.

Angel Eye is an excellent sequel.

Full disclosure: I was asked to blurb this book. (Which was both easy and a genuine pleasure to do, because I loved it start to finish!)

In my review of Cursebreakers (on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6117476828), I mentioned that even though I read it in January, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.

Angel Eye is another favorite read. It's not only AS good as Cursebreakers but, if anything, even more compelling. All the interesting themes from Cursebreakers get carried forward and it builds so, so perfectly. The dread during the thrilling parts is so real that I found myself reading with one hand over my face as if that would help me avoid seeing it... but despite that, the humor was still there. And the kind parts were so very kind, that even through the fear I felt like I could trust Nakamura at every step.

It was such a deeply satisfying read, and I loved the characters so, so much. All the old ones get their chance to shine, and the new ones are all deeply compelling and interesting; everyone felt so real. Also I simp and would die for Oliver. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!