Review – Briar Blood (Spellwood Academy, Book 2) by Kate Avery Ellison (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 210 pages
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: November 11, 2019
ASIN : B07WQ2FRVB
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Spellwood Academy series
Source: eBook Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“Kyra is still alive.
But after a harrowing assassination attempt and a shocking revelation leaves her reeling, Kyra must rally her courage and use every bit of her wits to figure out what’s going on, and who wants her dead.
She has new secrets to keep.
New roles to learn.
And Spellwood Academy’s annual, secret War Between the Societies is about to begin! Winner gains access to an area of Spellwood that holds the answer to a secret.
Kyra needs Briar to win.
Meanwhile, other things are distracting her… namely, a certain elite prince whose kisses are like fire. A prince she’s supposed to stay away from. A prince she can’t resist.”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Spellwood Academy series. I borrowed this for my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited.
Story (3/5): This story is very centered on a secret war between the houses of Spellwood where each house tries to hunt down each other’s orbs in order to claim a part of campus for themselves. The mysteries surrounding Kyra and some strange politics happening in fairy continue in the background. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t see the larger story make more progress and was struggling to see the point of this secret house war. It was still a fine read and went forward at a good pace. However, it was very very short and I really wanted to see more expansion on some of the issues presented in the last book.
Characters (4/5): I like Krya’s stubbornness and her willingness to push through things. I also really enjoy Lucien as a character. Their relationship was well done and something I enjoyed reading about. Kyra’s roommates are also well done and we are finally getting to know some of the other girls in Briar. My only complaint is that Kyra and Lucien were so on again, off again that it got a bit annoying.
Setting (3/5): I continue to enjoy the Spellwood setting and how it is on the border between the faerie and the human world. The world-building has been slow but it’s there. The descriptions of Spellwood are truly magical and I enjoy them.
Writing Style (3/5): This is easy enough to read and moves at a good clip. I love some of the magical descriptions but do feel that the story is a bit simple. There are some interesting things happening in the background here but they are never filled out, instead we are distracted by this silly school game. This is also super short and ends on a huge cliffhanger (which I hate). I feel like these aren’t quite as polished and filled out as they should be.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay but I wish more had happened. I like the idea of Spellwood and all the magic that happens there. I like Lucien and Kyra as characters. However, the storyline didn’t progress much…instead focusing on something that seemed totally irrelevant. There wasn’t much progress made on the more interesting issues like Kyra’s past, the strange reaction between Lucien and Kyra’s magic, or the upheaval in the fairy courts. I plan on reading the third book but may stop after that if it is more of the same. I am on the fence with this series right now.
