aprildiamond's reviews
144 reviews

This book went a step farther than all the previous ones. We've got:
-Isabel Kabra being actually unhinged
-Finding out Dan and Amy's parents were murdered
-The true beginning of Ian and Natalie's character development
-The conclusion of Irina's character arc :(
-Nellie being lowkey shady

Honestly? From this point, we're in the endgame now.

What really kept pulling me into this book almost immediately was the characterization. The main, Christopher, is SUCH a fun character to read about, and he's not flat or one-dimensional. And his relationships with other characters like Tom and Master Benedict are perfectly written.

As I got a bit farther in, the plot did its job as well, taking us through a murder mystery full of various twists, antagonists, and ciphers (I love ciphers, so another win!) I also got to learn a bunch about life in 1660s England, especially apothecary work, which was very cool.

Christopher and Tom are characters that I would continue to read about over and over again, so it'll be exciting continuing the series.

When I say I like the fantasy genre, this is exactly what I’m talking about. Magic, pirates, a bunch of different worlds, a map that can destroy the universe, rumor vines, etc. Not, like, a badly constructed love triangle.

Also I really love the backstories for both Fin and Marrill. Marrill wanting to cure her mother is both sweet and sad, and Fin being literally forgettable but not figuratively forgettable is super unique. And their friendship is so perfect I love them

4.5 stars.

Surprisingly, I liked this more than the first one even though the first one was already super good.
I really appreciate the emotionally charged moments in this series because they're done so well, like at the end when

Christopher found the letter from Master Benedict that he started off as Christopher Rowe but was now Christopher Blackthorn

that was so cute... maybe I cried a little

This one really upped the intensity once again...

I just read another book called “The Assassin’s Curse” and I can definitely say this one was the better of the two.

Not only that, but this book is for sure the best in the series so far, improving on what was already great. More codes, more danger, more funny banter. Plus we get to see 1660s Paris!
It was also cool to see more of Sally, like her family and even just her having more involvement in the story. It felt like a very natural progression from book 2.

And MAN I do not know exactly when or how but this one got DARK…
I mean, that ending, for example…
Even the antagonists this time around were on a different level so it definitely seems like the series is developing a more mature tone :0

I think one of the biggest problems in this book could have been avoided if it was in 3rd person narration. In The False Prince, 1st person was necessary to set up the twists and it worked out well. But here, it became a loss since we weren’t able to learn much about characters other than Jaron. Which was desperately needed. Again, in the first book this was fine because it wasn’t the focus of the plot. But if the supporting cast is gonna be important for the series (which it seems to be), then we should really see their personalities rounded out. I should be able to pick a favorite character other than Jaron, but I don’t know enough about Tobias, Amarinda, Imogen, or Roden because they weren’t near Jaron for significant portions of the story. With 3rd person and maybe even different POVs, there could be a vibrant supporting cast. The potential is there.

In addition, by having an unreliable narrator throughout the first book, there's a danger of having a flat main character afterwards. We don’t know Jaron’s full story at first, but that’s the point. However, he still should be a well-developed character. Unfortunately The Runaway King kind of gets caught in this mistake. Sure, Jaron had hardships throughout the book, but he never really had any character development. It fell into a pattern of oh, Jaron can do this and this and this because he’s super talented. Plus, his decisions always end up being right and he doesn’t have to apologize for his mistakes. Sure, he's good at all this since he’s been trained for it, but he should have some kind of development by the time the story ends. There are numerous different ways to have him grow as a person.

Finally, this one just didn’t grab my attention as much. The first book was super fast-paced. Compared to that, this drags and kind of suffers from middle-book syndrome.

All this is not to say there weren’t parts I really liked. In fact, for the best scene award, I'd have to say it was the final battle scene between Roden and Jaron.

The only complaint I have about this sequel is that I wish there was more of Remy + Coll because I love them. Remy was such a great addition to the group :)

Also I was SO SAD with the whole "not remembering" thing. I was NOT prepared for that emotional distress, but it all worked out in the end so yay.

3.5 stars.

Not as captivating/good as the first one and sometimes parts dragged. But I did really like the whole plotline with the Shadow and the skeleton getting smuggled into the Wizard Tower piece by piece. I mean, it was creepy af but that's why it was super interesting.

Also stan Marcia, who was said to have the same vibe as a dragon mother by a literal dragon ✌

Masterminds follows a group of kids in a small, perfect suburb town called Serenity, where they are taught how to be honest, kind, and good people. Interestingly, they also don't know what murder is, because the curriculum excludes violence and other bad things. Soon, the group figures out that something's definitely wrong with their town and end up learning some very surprising secrets about themselves.

All the main characters in this book are very different and unique, and so are easy to tell apart despite the switching first person POVs. I love all of them.

The twists? Perfect. I knew something weird was going on in Serenity, but I never once guessed about what they were hiding there.

AN EXPERIMENT FOR CLONING MASTER CRIMINALS???

I WAS SHOOK. That reveal is one of the best ones I've ever read period.

The book stays interesting and keeps the stakes high throughout, with good pacing and numerous well-written, tension-filled moments. Very recommended!