Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is the second book in a captivating YA Fantasy series. Poppy knows who Hawke, Casteel, is now. He’s the Dark One, the Prince of Atlantia. And he’s got a plan to get his brother back from the Blood Queen that involves her. She knows better than to trust him, but he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. So, they pretend to be engaged to fulfill both of their goals. But Poppy also knows it’s a risk being so close to Casteel, because they definitely have chemistry together that is hard to resist. The closer Poppy gets to Atlantia, the more her power grows. Atlantia is at unrest. Whispers of war are growing, the Descenters want Poppy dead and the King wants to use her to send a message. But the gods may have different ideas.

I listened to this book as well and the narrator did another fantastic job. This book picks up right after the first one and sets a frenetic pace to the ending. We learn more about Poppy’s abilities, and she and Cas get closer. We also learn more about Atlantia and how the Ascended were first created. I enjoyed getting to know more about the minor characters in the book, especially several of the wolvine that serve Cas. Second books can tend to be a drag, filled with lots of fluff, but that’s now the case here. This book served to move the story along and I didn’t think there were many irrelevant details added. This book ended on a crazy cliffhanger, which made me immediately start reading the next one.