Q U I C K S T A T S
Characters-⭐⭐⭐
Setting- ⭐⭐⭐. 5
Writing style- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
// Content Warning: Ableism / Alcohol / Blood / Colonialism (mention) / Death / Grief / Murder / Racism / Self-harm / Suicide / Violence //
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Age rating: 15+
Genre(s): Historical fantasy
Pub date: September 21th 2021
P R E M I S E
NOTE: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE SILVERED SERPENTS
In love they breathed. In destiny they believed. In the end, will divinity be their demise?
After Séverin's seeming betrayal, the crew is fractured. Armed with only a handful of hints, Enrique, Laila, Hypnos and Zofia must find their way through the snarled, haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Séverin.
Meanwhile, Séverin must balance the deranged whims of the Patriarch of the Fallen House and discover the location of a temple beneath a plague island where the Divine Lyre can be played and all that he desires will come to pass.
With only ten days until Laila expires, the crew will face plague pits and deadly masquerades, unearthly songs and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself... but at a price they may not be willing to pay.
M Y R E V I E W
NOTE: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE SILVERED SERPENTS
The Bronzed Beasts picks up right after the events of The Silvered Serpents (duh) and dear God, I sobbed when Séverin stabbed my children Zofia and Enrique in less than 2 seconds apart, but as soon as this book started, my tears rolled up in reverse. Before Laila's eyes (and mine), the pair came back to life and imagine being Laila at that point; you're a mess of blood and tears and clutching your friends' bodies close and weeping when all of a sudden, they come back to life and look at you confused because "the paralysis was part of the plan."
What plan? You might ask.
We all seem to forget Séverin runs everything.
But we never get to know about the plan because, during her weeping, Laila had managed to destroy the small recording device Séverin left behind with clear instructions on what the crew had to do next. Laila, if you're wondering why Hypnos was pissed off when he found out you had broken the thing, IT'S BECAUSE ALL THE FUCKING INSTRUCTIONS WERE IN THERE.
Next time, try not to break the little red thing in the corner.
And, once again I am emphasising the similarities between this crew and my crow babies:
Laila - Nina / Inej
Séverin - Kaz
Hypnos - Jesper
Zofia- Wylan
Enrique- Matthias (oh how the turns have tabled)
Let's be honest, the villain wasn't even a villain. Their mere existence was barely acknowledged and wasn't even a threat. Like I've said before, authors try adding compelling traits to villains to make them three dimensional, and this was what Roshani Chokshi missed big time. The villain didn't have the biggest thing any villain is supposed to have; a motive. I know accession to Godhood is a big deal on its own but surely there's got to be a reason behind wanting it. Revenge? A promise made to their grandfather on his deathbed? Sibling rivalry? Give me something real to work with.
In terms of romance, Séverin felt more, how do I put this nicely, manipulative. In the second book (The Silvered Serpents), he called Laila a goddess and promised her the world and more, but in this book, he was determined to prove to her that he was the only one for her and no one else despite her continuously refusing to have anything to do with him.
I don't know about you but I'm feeling electric; my ship finally sailed. After 2 and a half books of them pining after each other, Zofia and Enrique finally got together. In this dynamic, Zofia represents Kaz a little more than Séverin because she is quite touch repulsed and I also suspect her to lean a bit towards asexuality.
The ending was very bittersweet and when I say bittersweet, I mean I don't know whether to smile because it's all over or stomp over to Roshani's front door demanding a better ending because... what the fuck? Like you hurt me with pages of heartbreak and then you try to make it better with *gestures wildly* that. NO NO NO.
“Hello, Majnun.”
*sobs*
T R O P E S
Chosen one (or 👀 God 👀)
Found family
Second chance romance
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
Biracial main characters (Filipino/Hispanic) (French/Algerian)
Bisexual main characters
Black main character
Indian main character
Jewish main character with autism
S I M I L A R B O O K S
Six of Crows (duology) by Leigh Bardugo
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