Title: The strange Hymn(The Bargainer #2)
Author: Laura Thalassa
My Rating: 🌟🌟1/2
Type: Series – Book 2
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Magical World
Primary Characters: Callie, Desmond
Narration: Dual POV
I was skeptical to pick this book. I gave some gap before picking up book 2, thinking I won’t be biased. I definitely wanted to know the mystery of women in casket and more about those silent children, but that wasn’t enticing enough.
The first half of the book started out good with Callie’s training and Callie getting comfortable in her new body. Des is accommodative and patient. Des takes her to different cities in night court. Yet, I felt like it lagged a lot in world building. Middle part of the book felt way too much dragged. None of the mystery got revealed. Not even hints till climax.
Like in Book1, this also had lot of action in last part. Last part felt like way too rushed. We still don’t get much details about other courts. No intriguing secondary characters. Temper intrigued me in book1, definitely not in this. Janus and Malakai weren’t so bad. Language was horrible. The mix of contemporary and historic setting, didn’t sit well with me at all. Narration was ok ok.
At some point this book felt like a draft copy than final version. Lagged in editing to a greater extent. High level plot and mystery was the only motivation for me to finish this, yet, none of the mystery gets solved.
Overall, you won’t miss anything much even if you skip this book and directly jump into next one in series. Only reason for me to pick next book is to see how the mystery unfolds. The book had potential but the execution was bad.
Source – Free in KU
Buy Link -https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Hymn-Bargainer-Book-ebook/dp/B071PC3T8C
Blurb as per good reads
Siren and soulmate to the King of Night, Callypso Lillis survived the clutches of Karnon, the mad king, and his twisted prison. But the nightmare isn’t over. Callie wears the physical reminders of her time as a captive, and mounting evidence suggests the Thief of Souls is still out there.
When a fae celebration thrusts Callie and her mate, Desmond Flynn, into the Kingdom of Flora, they take their investigation with them. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, they find there are more immediate issues to deal with. No place is more uniquely savage than the great fae halls, and no amount of bargains can save Callie from royal intrigues.
Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want things too unspeakable to utter. One thing is for sure: no one is who they appear to be. Not even Des, who only grows more enigmatic with every passing secret.
But the Kingdom of Flora has its own secrets, from bleeding trees to branded slaves and missing guards. Something is stirring in the land of all that grows, and if Callie isn’t careful, it will claim everything and everyone she loves—and her along with it.
Meander - Read & Roam 