Series: Clash of Kingdoms #2
Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.
After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home.
Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she’d like to, and now he’s insisting on making her a noble lady.
And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.
The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.
3 Drink Me Potions
Ever the Brave brings this duology into a satisfactory ending with bits of action, romance and girl-power stances.
Moving a while after the end of book 1, this novel continues to develop the conspiracy angle and the mystery behind the magical attack on the king. While it doesn’t remain a mystery for long (like, it’s literally given away in Britta’s first POV), that little twist was a nice add-on. I’m not sure if I liked having it given away so early on, or knowing the fact of who it is but trying to figure out where the author is going with this little tidbit of information.
The action gets a little slow at times what with POV transitionings. A few newer characters are introduced here, with familiar faces from book 1 making appearances. However, they seemed a bit two-dimensional at times as the focus was on the 3 main characters.
That’s right. THREE main characters.
I will admit that the previous novel left me in a tizzy as there were hints of a love triangle blooming. Well guess what? I was RIGHT. Erin added in the king as a separate protagonist. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I suppose it wasn’t so bad as it wasn’t a true triangle.
What do I mean by that? Well, Britta was somewhat easy to like still but I had trouble connecting with her on this book. Maybe it had to do with 3 POVs instead of 2, but she didn’t really stick out to me. However, I adore her for standing firm to her feelings, and taking the time to decide who was the one for her without dragging both boys along.
Of course, a lot of that good thinking came from Cohen. Ah, Cohen. If he was the protagonist in this whole series, I would’ve gobbled up this novel so much faster. Erin does well in writing out both his flaws and his abilities. I felt I didn’t get enough of him in book 1 so I’m quite satisfied with how it went with his character development here.
While I enjoyed Ever the Brave enough, sometimes I felt like it was missing something. That extra umph you know? The plot was fine, the 3 protagonists were fine (aside from those weird scenes with the king whose name I shall not even bother mentioning – but he was a nice guy otherwise), and the ending was pretty great – all wrapped up in a bow.
Then what was I missing? I’m not sure. Maybe a bit more action, or a few more unexpected twists to keep readers on their toes. The solution to all their conflicts wasn’t as amazing or dramatic as it was set up to be and that was a bit of a letdown.
Would I recommend this then? Well, I’m a sucker for YA fantasies, especially those with cute romances and happy endings. Ever the Brave checked both these things off although I may have had some issues with it overall. But the answer would still be yes. I suggest coming into this with an open mind. Maybe it’s just me very used to high fantasies and unpredictable story lines. I think this series was worthwhile reading in the end.
Overall Recommendation:
Ever the Brave smoothly brought forth a happy ending for this duology, and while that sounds like a good thing, it could have done a bit better. From a love triangle that almost seemed unnecessary to the inability for me to connect with Britta, I had some issues getting through the book. The plot is simple and sometimes predictable, but if you love a book that brings out good and heartwarming feelings in you, then it more than does the job. Maybe a little lacking compared to high fantasies, this series at least put a smile on my face at the end of the day.
Down the Rabbit Hole 