When one of the four elite students of Gifted Fae Academy is murdered, it leaves the entirety of the student body feeling defeated… especially me. A shocking declaration shatters the fragile peace the school has barely managed to maintain and brings the criminal organization dedicated to murdering Fae to the forefront of society. Their leader is identified–a traitor we believed to be one of … believed to be one of our own.
With the only home I have left threatening to close its doors, I must prove where my loyalties lie. There is no such thing as trust within the walls of the legendary academy any longer. It’s now student versus student. We’re all hurt… all broken. The thirst for revenge is palpable, and there is no one who craves justice more than I do. But, no one is as conflicted as I am, either. Nothing is as it seems. The lies are too simple and the truth is far too complex. The more pieces of the puzzle that I uncover, the closer I get to the boy who broke us–who broke me.
Will I have what it takes to stop him before his plans come to fruition? Or will my hesitation cost me my life?
If you love reading about childhood friends, enemies-to-lovers, royal and celebrity classmates, and everything Fae, then one-click today and fall into this magical new series that’s Gossip Girl meets My Hero Academia! This Upper YA/NA series is intended for mature audiences. It contains cursing, sexual situations, bullying, and violence.
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Brittni Chenelle for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
It just keeps getting better and better!
This is the second book in the Gifted Fae Academy trilogy and I think this one was so much better than the first one. I’m hoping that the third one can finish the trilogy strong. I was very surprised at the reason why the first book ended the way it did, and being able to see Reina and Kai on opposite sides and not always interacting with one another was amazing. I think it worked that the book didn’t solely take place in the Academy like the first one mostly did. Their world really did expand after the first novel, and I feel like this completely changed the dynamic between the two main characters.
I was proud of the character growth that Reina and Kai showed from the first novel, and I’m excited to see more of their progress in the last book.
Now I know that Reina and Kai didn’t start off really…. personable I would say… but Kai finally gets out of his own butt in how he would treat Reina before she realized that she had powers. He was just a jerk-face, okay? We all know this. Luckily though, it seems like Kai becomes self-sacrificing with his own reputation and life in order to save Reina’s and the rest of the students at GFA from The Fallen’s attack. There didn’t need to be a massacre, and that’s what Kai was able to prevent during the dance.
The more that we see Kai with The Fallen, the more that we can see what’s going through his mind and whether or not he really made the right decision. We can also see him understand more of The Fallen’s motive, and a part of him may be more understanding than before. Does that mean he’s going to stay with The Fallen for good? We don’t know. Well, you don’t know. It doesn’t help make Kai’s decision any better when the true leader of The Fallen makes an appearance and ends up becoming friends with him. Can you truly trust a guy that could kill with a single touch? Doesn’t that make him more dangerous than the Fae that they are fighting so hard to eliminate? What about the other gifted people within The Fallen? Are they being hypocrites? What’s the deal? There’s a lot to learn while Kai is within the ranks of The Fallen, and things aren’t as black and white as initially thought.
My favorite part of this novel was the growing dynamic between Reina and Yemoja Roux. Yes, there is a mentor-mentee relationship since Yemoja is the one that truly helps Reina learn how to harness her power, but the relationship grows to one that is more familial in nature, and it warms my heart. Reina sees Yemoja as the big sister that she never had, and even though a part of her knows that Yemoja isn’t her blood sister, she hasn’t felt like she had a family since her parents were killed. They end up growing closer not just on the “practice field” so to speak, but outside of their public interactions. It’s a really beautiful budding relationship and the more you read the novel, the more you can see how that relationship takes its course. I’m hoping for more of this in the third novel to really solidify how important Yemoja and Reina are to one another outside of being gifted. I mentioned my love for their relationship in the first novel and again Brittni just wrote that dynamic perfectly to me.
And the relationship between Bri and Reina. Oh my gosh I’m so freaking happy that Reina finally has a female best friend that she can truly trust and love. Bri is such a great character, and I am so glad that I got to see her more in this novel. Seeing her emotional, but also being true to herself and to Reina was the best. Both Reina and Bri have learned one another’s strengths and weaknesses, triggers, and nuances in what seems like a short amount of time. But for me, it shows that they really took the time to make sure that the other wasn’t just a roommate to them this year, you know? I loved how Bri was so supportive and loyal to Reina even when the elites of the school turned their back on Reina. It was such a quick flip too that honestly it made me wonder whether the elites were actually friends with Reina and cared about her, or if they just accepted her because she was Odin’s girlfriend. Either way, Bri is a true friend to Reina and I do hope that… knowing what happened at the end of this novel… we get to see just how far they are willing to go for one another.
This book is an excellent addition to the series. It is well written and the story and characters are well developed. The story carried on seamlessly from book one. It was action packed and full of twists and turns. There was emotion, suspense, intrigue and hot chemistry. I loved seeing the character dynamics evolve and develop through the books. I’d highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book!!
I received and arc for a voluntary review.
HOLLY MOLLY GUACAMOLE THAT ENDING!
This book was so much better than the first one. Like, the ending literally gave me chills. As the first one is a fast and entertaining reading, with so much more action and gifts, so just go and grab your copy.
Trigger warning: The bullying stopped in this book, but you have to see the bullied girl still in love with her bully so take that in count. Still, this bully has a golden heart (just reaaaaaaaaaaally hidden in the first book).
This series was an emotional, romantic, mystery filled rollercoaster! Once you get on the ride in the first installment, you’re left feeling angry with Kai and Reina, yet sucked into what you believe to be an unreasonable and unreciprocal love story. There’s something underlying there that urges you to continue reading even though you’re ready to kick Kai’s butt! You’re rewarded by choosing Reina as the underdog and rejoice with her as her dreams come true and when the end comes, you’re left at the same apex as when you’ve survived the first major plummet from a rollercoaster. Exhilarated, yet cautious as the ride continues.
The second installment dims your hatred of Kai as he redeems himself and you even find yourself routing for him. Dude has been dealt a raw deal and like many of us, simply tried to do the best with what he was given. You LOVE how Reina, who started as the least of them, excels to become the best of them, exhibiting the TRUE nature of what a Fae should be and even begins to heal some parts of her most idolized Fae.
By the third installment, you’re absolutely on fire as you fight for Kai and Reina to succeed! You have some pity on Calvin considering his gift and how it alienates him but dude needs to be taught a serious lesson. By the end of the book you’re screaming and chanting as Reina becomes the woman we all have cheered her to become. You find yourself like an excited aunt or cousin at a football game cheering her to touchdown.
Reina exemplifies the best of all of us!
The was the absolute perfect sequel to the first book. All I wanted was for Kai to have a redemption arc but we got so much more than that. I fell in love with Reina and Kai here, they faced so much but they only came out stronger. I can’t wait to see how book three finishes their journey.
I was given an ARC, so I am writing my honest voluntary review.
Wow! Fantastic continuation to the trilogy. The characters are becoming more relatable as the story continues. Just the right amount of drama. That ENDING….. can’t wait to grab the next one.
Kaito Male MC Rating : 5 Stars
Reina Female MC rating: 5 Stars
Side Character Ratings: 5 Stars
Plot rating: 5 Stars
Dialogue rating: 5 Stars
Storytelling rating: 5 Stars
End/Epilogue rating: 5 Stars
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Overall rating: 5 Stars
Wow this one was a roller coaster of emotions. So much angst and uncertainty on who’s really the bad guy. Can’t wait to see what happens to Reina and Kai in the next book, plus find out where Bri is.
A love/hate relationship at its finest. When you are naive, you are either brave or stupid , and the outcome could very well be ugly.the shade of grey is becoming even more dominant, especially when the supposed bad guys look like Robin Hood. So very similar to modern society. All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
A perfect follow up to the first.
First off, to anyone looking for a book that is all sewed up at the end with a bow on top and doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page, one that doesn’t make you both rejoice and scream at a cliffhanger, just go find some dime store romance and leave the rest of us alone. Now, for those of you who are looking for a book that is so immersive in the writing, characters, world-building, and storyline that you forget you’re reading a book, and instead feel like you’ve fallen into the world on the page, come closer and keep on reading.
I know that this trilogy is marked as a bully romance, but I wouldn’t describe it as such. It’s honestly more of a story of deep friendship, a loss of self (on Kaito’s end), and a slow redemption as two young adults—one idealistic (Reina) and one searching for purpose (Kaito), fight on opposite sides for the same outcome. When the world was upside down, they fought heaven and hell just to save each other.
In this second installment, Brittni brings us all back in to the story just a few days after the battle that ended the first book. Her voice shines through in every word, the emotions and action drawing you in deeper like a moth to a flame. And without making it obvious at all, she effortlessly weaves suspense thriller into this urban fantasy, with the ease and delicacy that I find in JD Robb’s ‘In Death’ series, or A.D. Winter’s ‘Ivy Cross and the Monarch of Darkness’.
The war that is to come, the sacrifice of one life for another with the fear and equal hope that the other understands reminds me of Mary Fan’s ‘A Girl Called Firedragon’. The intrigue and duplicity combined with the burning undercurrent of agape love for friends and the deep protective love and loyalty between our stars…This book has it all and it only gets better from here.
Oh man, the hits keep coming with this series and I have been on the edge of my seat needing to know how this all works out in the end. This has been a fantastic series so far and I will definitely be listening to the next.
Reina and Kai are on opposing sides of the war…they are using Kai’s face as the leader of the Fallen, which is far from the truth. Reina and her friends are trying to make sense out of everything happening! She knows that Kai cannot be responsible…and Miranda foretells she will continue to pick Kai over all of them. Oden and her are no more! She loves Kai, and he her. Now, Kai watched another person he knew be destroyed by the real head of the Fallen…DT. He is scared of him…Reina’s hero adopts her. Kai and Reina are texting one another after she believed she killed him…turns out he was just hurt. Now, they will have to come together to stop one dangerous person from destroying everything and everyone…but the truths they find inside him are heartrending.
Book two picks right up where book one left off. The Fae and the Fallen pulled me in from the start and this book was no different. The story never lags, it kept my interest throughout. I’m quite invested in the characters at this point, they’re great. The dynamic of the MC’s is a story in and of itself. I hope to see that develop even more in book 3. Now that Kai and Rei have seen what’s broken in their system, I think they will be out for justice against the corruption. This leaves you on a cliffhanger so be aware that you’ll want to dive into book 3.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is all my own thoughts and honest opinions.
Coming off of the first book (which in my opinion was the start to one of my new favorite series), this book did a sequel justice. Normally I’m apprehensive about sequels. They either feel rushed, not good enough or just lacking in substances. But this sequel was not a let-down. The multiple POVs, the drama and intense enemies-to-lovers hit me in all of the right ways.
As for a recap of book one: the world is filled those who have powers – the elites and the commons. Those without powers are called “serfs” and a looked down upon. Our main characters, Reina and Kaito and very different in lives and perspectives. Reina – a serf- has lost her parents and is trying to find a way to get into the Academy without knowing what her powers is, if she even has any at all. She won’t let anyone discourage her, or get in her way of getting to the Academy and be like her idol, Yemoja Roux. Kaito – an elite- has had everything handed to him. When he fails the Academy test twice, he only has one chance left. Even though they were best friends, once he got powers he spends the next 4 years making Reina’s life a living hell. But when she gets him into the Academy, things might start to change since she might be one of the most powerful Fae in the making.
Now on to book 2, it had the same amount of action, romance, and suspense that the first one had if not more. We continue as we left off after the battle, the entire school recuperating after the attack from the Fallen.
Reina has grown from the last book in power and strength. She has been working with Yemoja to control and harness her powers, and she uses these abilities to make things right after the attack. Kaito, on the other hand, was last seen leaving the battle at the school to join the Fallen. There he becomes the “face” of the rebellion against the Fae. But we start to realize not all is what it seems. What are his plans? Does he really believe that the Fae are murderers? Who’s side is Kaito really on and finally, how will Reina act after this harsh betrayal?
This is a tale of forbidden love across the sides of good and evil. But who’s on the side of good, and who’s on the side of evil? Is the Fallen really as bad as the Fae are making them out to be? Why and how are the Fae targeted in these attacks? I highly suggest you pick up this book and find out because I cannot wait to read book 3 and see what happens to Reina & Kaito.
I suppose it’s time I wrote a review for this book. I waited so long to give others a chance to declare how they felt, feeling my opinion, being a tad biased since I was the Content Editor for it, needed to be kept out of their views. But it’s been out long enough now that I don’t feel my opinion would influence anyone else’s, so here it is.
I loved this book. Much more than book 1. Probably because I feel I have far more invested in this one than I did in the first one. Two of my favorite characters were strongly highlighted: Kaito and DT. Kaito, because he was allowed to grow into the guy I knew he could be, the guy buried under that messed up teenager from book 1, who wasn’t sure who he was or how he should act. In book 1, we saw the side of him that could be cruel, but mostly was overwhelmed by the onset of his powers, and the notoriety they brought him. As a teenage boy, he naturally got a case of a swelled head, and as such, decided to distance himself from his long time friend, Reina, a simple serf, to stay at the head of the “cool kids”. But in doing so, he nearly lost the one friend he had that would always be true.
In book 2, Kaito realizes Reina is much more to him than a childhood friend, and that he was less than he thought he was, having realized he had a propensity towards cruelty. But, once faced with real cruelty in the form of a friend, forced on him by circumstances, (and, of course, I mean DT)/ he realizes he’s not nearly as evil-minded as DT is, nor does he want to be.
From there, we go on quite the ride with these mixed up teenagers, never knowing on which side we’re going to fall, nor which group is most sincere. Outside forces, going by the moniker The Fallen, start to intervene, and DT starts to show his true colors. As the antagonist, DT shows signs of being a very troubled person from his own sketchy past. While we know we should hate him, it is difficult, as we discover there’s much more to him than just the cruel boy who does damage willy nilly. The development of his character went deep into the psyche of a teenaged boy who came into his powers young, with all the consequences that you’d expect from such an occurrence. This early development did damage to DT emotionally, causing him to have difficulty discerning the difference between right and wrong.
Kaito develops into a guy with a conscience, which he never expected. Nor did Reina. That conscience helps him stay the course after being forced to join The Fallen, an outside group with a grievance against The Gifted. But when the influences of DT, The Fallen’s actual leader, become too much, Reina, having become quite strongly Gifted in her own right, determines to keep Kaito on the right side of the line, no matter how hard he makes it for her. With Reina in one ear, DT in the other, and The Fallen proving to be less evil than he first believed, Kaito is torn.
Book 2 has a storyline that is action-filled with a strong emotional impact. You find yourself coming to like all the characters, to some degree, making it difficult to have a definitive good guy/bad guy scenario, which I found to be a fascinating way to go. Much more like life actually is than most fairy tales bent on giving us a moral to follow. In this book, we see how ambiguous life really can be, and how difficult it is to know if you’re doing the right thing all the time. I definitely found myself liking book 2 much more than book 1, and for more reasons than just my participation. And while I will not be participating in the writing of book 3, I do admit to a curiosity as to how well it will continue to do, in all aspects of the story, and I wish this author the best of luck in her future endeavors.
More superhero than fairy, this installment of the story really ratchets up the action! Kai did a lot to redeem himself in this book – I’m not quite so adverse to him as a love interest as I was in book 1. Reina has a troubled journey ahead of her and it is interesting to watch her learn more about the world she came to, the one she left and the one she never knew was there. The world and characters built in book 1 got a whole lot richer in book 2!
I think one of the things that makes this book so much better than the first is it has a defined antagonist and the development of defined sides in a larger conflict that was hinted at previously. This is far more satisfying than the petty teenage squabbles.
This is book 2 in the series and starts right in the aftermath of the confrontation at the end of book 1. The dream is crumbling, but it is still not entirely clear what is behind the facade. Sides are drawn and redrawn – the pressure mounts. I can’t wait to see what is coming in year three.
I finished reading this book whilst on holidays and let me just say, I was not disappointed! I literally loved so much about this book! It had so much angst and I loved the uncertainty of where it was heading.
From the ending of the first book til this book, I was hooked and honestly, it was a true struggle to put down the book. Its times like these that I don’t get frustrated at my continual fight to stay asleep…because even if I could sleep easier, this book would be definitely pushing all my willpower buttons lol.
If you have read book one I’m certain you would’ve already started or finished reading this book, because honestly if you haven’t…why the hell not? At least add it to the tbr pile!
You do not want to miss this second book because for me it only gets better! The story has everything I needed to keep me hooked and I loved how Brittni continued to do dual POV, so I could get lost in both of their heads and know everything happening. This story really thrives in this format! So if you loved book one then rest assured that you will absolutely love this! I give all the yes’s in the world!
I guess you want a little bit of story development and all that jazz. Well first off, the character depth is awesome! I was impressed with that…I felt I lost a bit of connection to some of the characters but I also felt like I got a lot more connected to Kaito and Reina which was awesome!…and I really enjoyed exploring deeper into a few other characters like Yemoja and Zane. Also, the main bad dude in this book is hella perfect for his part!
As for the story, it picks up right where it left off and jumps into everything fairly quickly. Right after Gifted Fae Academy was breached – GASP the horror – and now in the aftermath, everything is up in the air. People have died, people are angry and some people are looking for a fight.
But to make it all the more Romeo Juliet style, Reina and Kaito are on two opposing sides. Reina struggles with the fact that Kaito betrayed everything they had both wanted, to be with The Fallen Arrow. She’s angry and becomes unsure, wanting to seek answers from the boy she is falling for…
And on the other side we have Kaito who gave up everything for something he is kinda unsure about. He questions a lot and can see why these people are mad but at the same time, he is locked in a stalemate of sorts, by someone you are going to question from day dot, well I did…This person has an agenda and definitely isn’t all he appears. Kaito, in my opinion, grows so much as a person so for me, I think I finally got that connection I had been searching for from the beginning of these books.
You are going to love returning to this world, where legit anything can happen and where a world is on the brink of change…well hopefully…coz it’s def clear that things need to change…but unless some higher-ups start listening, there could be a world of trouble. Maybe even war. Coz clearly that’s the only way some people will start listening.
If you love a good enemies to lovers, world on the brink of war, magic and a whole heap of angst… this story is going to be perfect for you. People who enjoyed books like Assassin’s Academy, Wicked Academy or Evermore Academy are definitely likely to be swept away in this world also.
So get yourself the book, get comfy and read, read, read…
Thank you to the absolutely amazing Brittni for another incredible read! I cannot wait to get my hands on what you have in store for us next!
Happy Readings
While I still don’t love the use of the f word I did enjoy the book. I liked seeing Kai grow and care about something more than himself. He was willing to sacrifice his own priorities to save the GFA and prevent the destruction of the one girl who was always there for him, even when he was cruel to her. I thought the story flowed smoothly between each perspective so we got to understand each character better. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the introduction of new heroes and villains. The lines blur a little as you realize that the fae aren’t always the good guys and the fallen are trying to even out things for the gifted and non gifted alike. Who can you trust? It ends with a bang and I can’t wait to read what happens next.
This was fun addition to the Gifted Fae Academy series. I really enjoyed Reina and Kaito. They were interesting and adventurous. Looking forward to reading more of this series!