I got a late start because holidays but I'm almost done. Let me tell you I'm getting so much of what I wanted lol. More magic, more time spent in that world, and also the relationships! Ana and Didrixe are GREAT. The way they're opening up around each other, how Didrixe allows herself to be gentle, how Ana has gotten more comfortable saying suddenly romantic things to catch her off guard and make her blush, and of course Didrixe being like "yeah I can be gentle but if you tell anyone else I'll break your jaw." They're so good together but also their conflict was inevitable, it had to happen but I'm glad it did, they're so different and it was going to come up eventually. Didrixe was just being pragmatic but she didn't realize just how that could hurt Ana's feelings, and Ana is making the wrong move by going behind her back to do things instead of talking to her more about it. The buildup was great, their talk was good too. The one line that got me, I can't remember exactly, Didrixe was like "I'm still going to have nightmares, but they'll just be about different things," and with that being the END of their conversation instead of it being resolved right away, that was a killer line. Ana was trying so hard and she did something amazing but she 100% deserved that. Didrixe pointed it out best, they went through something terrifying, and Didrixe was traumatized by it and Ana was emboldened, that's a big difference they have to get over.

Kind of on the relationship side of things, Ana still feeling protective of her sister gets me every time. Every time someone comes for Vixel or something startles her, Ana is right there and ready to fuck something or someone up. It's never necessary it's just really cute.

Ok that stuff out of the way, since this is new I'll say BIG SPOILERS BELOW.

I kind of figured something was going to happen again after the somnambulist (it took me four tries to type that) was caught but I didn't know what. It seemed easy but I figured we would find out that she was related to one of the main new characters, or maybe she still had some influence from inside jail, or maybe even that she wasn't the killer after all. I did not see a second killer coming, much less them doing things exactly the same way. I have a few ideas as to who it could be and supporting evidence for each one which I guess is the point lol. At first I thought oh, all the new characters are just red herrings, because the killer WAS caught and she fully admitted to it. But now there's another and the witch didn't mention ANYTHING about that? I'm going to try to finish it tonight and I know I'm going to be mad lol. Overall thought, I like it a lot. This feels like much more of a traditional mystery and I'm here for it.

Jade wrote:And I think that museum of artifacts was a lot of references right? It has to be or I'm insane.

It definitely was. Lemme grab my kindle lol. The violin is 100% from HoaTN, the typewriter and picture frame and ring are from TE, anddd I don't know if the map and jewelry and flag are from something, I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head. BUT, and Jade I'm here to take your GW card again, there's literally a blood card on display. I don't think the computer and writing instruments are, but the blood card is RIGHT THERE.

Final note, the Ana Didrixe art is one of the best things I've ever seen and I need to ask Arty if I can have it for my wallpaper or something. I like how accurate Ana looks to the cover of both books but seeing Didrixe like that was just.... is there a word for when you are scared of someone but also deeply attracted to them because of it?

I finished this book early (I got another ARC, sorry Jade) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a good mystery. Even though the reveal wasn't a huge surprise to me it was set up well and the distractions were also pretty good. I liked the new characters and trying to figure out their motivations. There was Kaspar and Celestina of course but also Officer Sharpe and Dean Grimm. Also, while I did figure out who the killer was, I didn't figure out what came after, because there was more.

Anastasia and Didrixe being the center of this was a lot of fun, it was nice to see their relationship develop. I was curious how well they would work together after book 1 and I'm pleasantly surprised to see they actually have a good dynamic on a day to day basis. They really work well together. Like Hannah said the clash was inevitable and it took a couple days for them to work through it but they did a good job with that too.

I was also skimming back through the book once I finished it like I usually do, just to see if anything new jumps out at me now that I know the ending, and I came across a scene where Anastasia and Didrixe are getting food after they learn about the conflict between Celestina and Kaspar. And Didrixe playfully says, "If you don't be quiet, the next scary thing you witness will be me coming at you with a knife." If you've read the ending, well...

I finished! It was kind of weird to be reading a murder mystery over christmas break but it was a good time.

Of course I'm getting character things out of the way first. The scene with Didrixe and Ana arguing was good, but my favorite is the talk after they catch the killer when Didrixe is super guilty about hurting Ana and Ana is comforting her. It was so wholesome. It was good also because you guys mentioned how what happened in book 1 made Ana feel brave but Didrixe feel scared, except this scene was almost the opposite. Ana kind of snapped to reality when Didrixe almost died, and Didrixe saw what Ana did for her and realized she couldn't keep Ana from doing everything just because she was afraid. Seeing Didrixe so upset (have we ever seen her cry before?) made me tear up a little but Ana was so good to her. I'm just like, yes, they are different in a lot of ways but THIS scene right here is why they work so well together. I think the tender moments with Didrixe are so much better for me because she's normally the ice queen.

Oh oh and before I forget.

Hannah wrote:I like how accurate Ana looks to the cover of both books but seeing Didrixe like that was just.... is there a word for when you are scared of someone but also deeply attracted to them because of it?

The word you are looking for is "scaroused." My wife taught this to me, you're welcome.

Now to the STORY. I will say I liked it more than the first book. It felt more traditional like Hannah said and that probably did it for me. I was sad to see that Wilfred and Corana weren't going to be there, I like them a lot so that was sad but at least they showed up once. I also have to admit I didn't guess the killer right and I was so set on it being either the dean or officer Sharpe. I didn't have a ton of proof, I was just thinking, there's going to be a twist, who seems the least suspect right now? Clearly that is not a good strategy. The fact that there were two killers also messed me up and I ALSO did not get the connection between the two. So, I'm not looking for work as a PI is all I'm saying. But it was really good! I missed some things like references, and then this:

Rebekah wrote: I was also skimming back through the book once I finished it like I usually do, just to see if anything new jumps out at me now that I know the ending, and I came across a scene where Anastasia and Didrixe are getting food after they learn about the conflict between Celestina and Kaspar. And Didrixe playfully says, "If you don't be quiet, the next scary thing you witness will be me coming at you with a knife." If you've read the ending, well...

this?? That is a GOOD find. omg though. Expert foreshadowing. I completely forgot this line lol.

Ok sorry one last thought because it's 4 AM and I'm sleepy but. Are you guys seeing hints about future books maybe, or am I just imagining things? Apart from the Hidden Moon, whatever that is. But the name Hadia has popped up a few times now and it gets me Thinking, you know?

I liked this book more than the first, I don't exactly know why but I did love that there was so much more magic in it. I also really liked that the characters were affected by the first book lol. Oh and it's a big plot point even, too. They went through hell and Ana wants to keep going but there are others who really don't, and they argue about it, and that's just refreshing to me. It feels like there's consequences to what happens that last after the book is over.

That's probably why I liked Ana and Didrixe's story so much tbh. I love them together and I love Didrixe especially and I saw the fight coming and it didn't disappoint because they both had super valid points and they both messed up.

Isabelle wrote:The scene with Didrixe and Ana arguing was good, but my favorite is the talk after they catch the killer when Didrixe is super guilty about hurting Ana and Ana is comforting her. It was so wholesome. It was good also because you guys mentioned how what happened in book 1 made Ana feel brave but Didrixe feel scared, except this scene was almost the opposite. Ana kind of snapped to reality when Didrixe almost died, and Didrixe saw what Ana did for her and realized she couldn't keep Ana from doing everything just because she was afraid.

This makes me wonder if we'll see Ana change in the next book because of this. First her sister, then Didrixe, maybe for Ana that will be too much and it will change her mind about some things. Already finding the killer kinda fucked with Ana's confidence too right? She made another plan and it worked and she was on top of the world and then she found out it didn't completely work and people were still getting killed. It might be a wakeup call. But we'll see lol. Since in the end she also figured out the rest of it.

The somnambulist was a neat idea for a killer EVEN IF I had to look up what that word meant. October's big scene was a really cool way of both letting her have some screen time and revealing what they were up against. I was honestly like 70/30 in favor of Cel but I didn't realize how they were related. Kaspar was really good as a distraction but even when he was angry and threatening he was still just too genuine for me to believe it was him lol. I will also say though I wondered if Sharpe was doing it even after they talked about why sovereignty wouldn't work.

I think this book also set up the next ones better. We get to wonder what the hell the hidden moon is, and I'm 99% sure the next book will be about something happening on their summer vacation and there's a lot of possibilities for that. But I really hope Corana and Wilfred are back for it, this book kinda hinted they wanted to keep the group together, but I missed them in this one lol.

Hannah wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 23, 2023 5:17 pm

BUT, and Jade I'm here to take your GW card again, there's literally a blood card on display. I don't think the computer and writing instruments are, but the blood card is RIGHT THERE.

NO OK SHUT UP LISTEN I got that one! It was so obvious I didn't think I had to mention it so excuuuuuuuuuse me princess

Lindsay wrote: I liked this book more than the first, I don't exactly know why but I did love that there was so much more magic in it. I also really liked that the characters were affected by the first book lol. Oh and it's a big plot point even, too. They went through hell and Ana wants to keep going but there are others who really don't, and they argue about it, and that's just refreshing to me. It feels like there's consequences to what happens that last after the book is over.

Yeah me too. It's more realistic but apart from that it just makes the character interactions so much more interesting. Like the WHOLE b plot with Ana and Didrixe only happened because the stuff from book 1 carried over, and it was so gooddd. It was great angst without feeling like the world was falling apart. And now I'm just so invested in these two lol, I want to see them succeed and fight for it.

Speaking of which, Ana is an idiot and it's so fucking funny LOL. Didrixe is suggesting they go window shopping and Ana's like "oh I didn't think you were into that kind of thing" and Didrixe has to say "I want to spend time with you, moron." Then my favorite, when Didrixe is scared and asks Ana if she wants to sleep in her bed, and this dumbass goes "I think both beds are the same size but if you want to trade that's ok" i'm just like oh my goD LOL. It's funny because Ana isn't super awkward or too nervous, when she and Didrixe are bantering she'll go hard, but she is still pretty hopeless and I love it lol. I wonder if eventually she'll start faking not understanding because it makes Didrixe get exasperated and have to explain it bluntly which embarrasses her.

Lindsay wrote:But I really hope Corana and Wilfred are back for it, this book kinda hinted they wanted to keep the group together, but I missed them in this one lol.

Omg me too girl. I feel like Corana especially needs some love and attention. Give me more of the feisty sirennnnn

Jade wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 06, 2024 12:42 am

Speaking of which, Ana is an idiot and it's so fucking funny LOL. Didrixe is suggesting they go window shopping and Ana's like "oh I didn't think you were into that kind of thing" and Didrixe has to say "I want to spend time with you, moron." Then my favorite, when Didrixe is scared and asks Ana if she wants to sleep in her bed, and this dumbass goes "I think both beds are the same size but if you want to trade that's ok" i'm just like oh my goD LOL. It's funny because Ana isn't super awkward or too nervous, when she and Didrixe are bantering she'll go hard, but she is still pretty hopeless and I love it lol. I wonder if eventually she'll start faking not understanding because it makes Didrixe get exasperated and have to explain it bluntly which embarrasses her.

Lol yes! I think Ana is still just smitten by Didrixe and can't believe that this is actually happening still. I kind of get it because it's not like things are perfect yet, the whole thing with book 2 is their conflict so I think also she's probably worried that things might end just as she's getting used to it. But yes mostly she is just kind of a dork. I wish I knew how to describe her because she's not really a himbo, but at the same time she's got a few of those traits when paired up with Didrixe lol.

I had to come back to post this also because there was something about this passage that was bugging me and I couldn't figure it out but I finally did, and I should have seen it coming because Arty's done this in a couple other books by now but look. It's not just the names but that's the most obvious, it's the three lead singers of her favorite band, but it's the names of songs that each one sang too. Anette is "escapist," Tarja is "dead to the world", and Floor is "the greatest show on earth." I haven't listened as much to them recently but I knew enough that I kept coming back to this because something felt weird about the phrasing and now I get it rofl. By this point we might have seen all the names of the band members maybe? I don't know if any of you guys still listen but if soooo.

Actually wait I forgot another one "come cover me" is in there too lol! This is kind of wholesome now that I figured it out.

Jade wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 06, 2024 12:42 am

Speaking of which, Ana is an idiot and it's so fucking funny LOL. Didrixe is suggesting they go window shopping and Ana's like "oh I didn't think you were into that kind of thing" and Didrixe has to say "I want to spend time with you, moron." Then my favorite, when Didrixe is scared and asks Ana if she wants to sleep in her bed, and this dumbass goes "I think both beds are the same size but if you want to trade that's ok" i'm just like oh my goD LOL. It's funny because Ana isn't super awkward or too nervous, when she and Didrixe are bantering she'll go hard, but she is still pretty hopeless and I love it lol. I wonder if eventually she'll start faking not understanding because it makes Didrixe get exasperated and have to explain it bluntly which embarrasses her.

This was so funny to me, Ana is really trying her best lol. She's not clueless because she can banter and flirt toe to toe with Didrixe sometimes but I think she expects herself to do it, when Didrixe initiates Ana's just like wait... she can do that? I want to see their relationship grow now. In book 2 their relationship is still very new and there was some conflict, and they came out of it stronger, so it'll be cool to see how they get more comfortable with each other.

Hannah wrote:I had to come back to post this also because there was something about this passage that was bugging me and I couldn't figure it out but I finally did, and I should have seen it coming because Arty's done this in a couple other books by now but look. It's not just the names but that's the most obvious, it's the three lead singers of her favorite band, but it's the names of songs that each one sang too. Anette is "escapist," Tarja is "dead to the world", and Floor is "the greatest show on earth." I haven't listened as much to them recently but I knew enough that I kept coming back to this because something felt weird about the phrasing and now I get it rofl. By this point we might have seen all the names of the band members maybe? I don't know if any of you guys still listen but if soooo.

Actually wait I forgot another one "come cover me" is in there too lol! This is kind of wholesome now that I figured it out.

I'm mad at myself for not getting this. Especially because I felt like this was coming, I had to double check some because I don't keep up with the band as much but at least a couple other names have been used in other books. I don't remember which ones though.

Lindsay wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:41 pm

The somnambulist was a neat idea for a killer EVEN IF I had to look up what that word meant. October's big scene was a really cool way of both letting her have some screen time and revealing what they were up against.

I think we talked about this, or maybe Beth told me, but you watched Buffy right? The end of October's scene reminded me kind of that episode where Buffy's mom dies. Because Anastasia and October have this conversation with the murdered students and then when October stops her spell they go right back to being dead, and Anastasia has this moment of like wait, I don't understand, they were JUST sitting there and talking to us, I heard their voices, why can't we just do that again? Why can't we make that happen again and we can get them out of here and they can live the rest of their lives? She just suddenly had such trouble understanding emotionally. It was probably because I had just been rewatching the series when I read this book but that part of the scene just had me hearing "WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE THE BODY."

Just for fun I was playing with this height chart thing and wanted to put the characters in the order I think they're in. We only know a couple things, like Laurent is 6 foot, October is almost that tall, Ana is a little above average and Wilfred is one of the shortest, it felt like one of those logic puzzles lol. but this is what I see in my head when I imagine the characters, I'm curious what you guys think. In retrospect I don't know if Vixel is shorter than Didrixe for instance but it's kind of funny to me to imagine it that way (and we also don't know that she's NOT, I don't think).

international wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 24, 2024 9:11 pm

Lindsay wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:41 pm

The somnambulist was a neat idea for a killer EVEN IF I had to look up what that word meant. October's big scene was a really cool way of both letting her have some screen time and revealing what they were up against.

I think we talked about this, or maybe Beth told me, but you watched Buffy right? The end of October's scene reminded me kind of that episode where Buffy's mom dies. Because Anastasia and October have this conversation with the murdered students and then when October stops her spell they go right back to being dead, and Anastasia has this moment of like wait, I don't understand, they were JUST sitting there and talking to us, I heard their voices, why can't we just do that again? Why can't we make that happen again and we can get them out of here and they can live the rest of their lives? She just suddenly had such trouble understanding emotionally. It was probably because I had just been rewatching the series when I read this book but that part of the scene just had me hearing "WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE THE BODY."

Girl you just took me back so far lol. I know what you're talking about. You're right though, October stole that scene but I think the end did a good job of making it feel real to Ana. At the end of the day she's just a teenage girl, she's brave but inexperienced, and seeing death this way is understandably going to fuck her up a little. And you know it affected her because she was kind of messed up for the rest of the night and I think she even references that moment in the future.

HANNAH that's so cool. I always felt like Vixel was taller than Didrixe but maybe that's because she can be so intimidating. I forget how short both of them are until they're in a scene with Ana lol or if Vixel is being silly. Attitude really is everything. It's weird to me because I don't actually see them in my head like this, but when I remember what's described in the book, it's all correct lol.

I don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but book three popped up on Amazon. There's no cover yet but there's a title and description and release date. I'm getting slasher movie vibes mixed with Lovecraftian horror based on the summary.

I love that height chart, I didn't know you could customize them that much! I did not think Corana was that tall, I figured she and Didrixe were like the same height. If she's taller then I love that for her, and also it makes her romance with Wilfred that much better IMO. Gimme a girl who's six inches taller than her dorky bf.

Now with that out of the way

Rebekah wrote: I don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but book three popped up on Amazon. There's no cover yet but there's a title and description and release date. I'm getting slasher movie vibes mixed with Lovecraftian horror based on the summary.

THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD. Guess we know what the summer plans are now! This does give slasher vibes you're right, a bunch of college kids going to a cabin in the woods by a lake. But eldritch god?? And it looks like zombies almost? Dude I can't wait. August 30 is sooner than I thought too considering when the last one came out.

I want to know more about the two mischievous sirens. Are they sirens like Corana is one, or are we going to see more traditional ones you think? Since it mentions a lakeside cabin I wonder if they live IN the lake, that's the only way it would make sense. But maybe I'm overthinking it because I can't remember if the first two books mentioned different kinds of sirens.

Hannah wrote: ↑

Mon May 06, 2024 9:16 pm

Just for fun I was playing with this height chart thing and wanted to put the characters in the order I think they're in. We only know a couple things, like Laurent is 6 foot, October is almost that tall, Ana is a little above average and Wilfred is one of the shortest, it felt like one of those logic puzzles lol. but this is what I see in my head when I imagine the characters, I'm curious what you guys think. In retrospect I don't know if Vixel is shorter than Didrixe for instance but it's kind of funny to me to imagine it that way (and we also don't know that she's NOT, I don't think).

This is so cool. I felt like Corana and Didrixe were the same height and Vixel was taller but maybe that's because she was kind of an authority figure and they are always tall in my head.

I'm caught up now. I like both stories but my favorite part about the books is Anastasia and Didrixe. It was fun in book one to see how they met and started to like each other but book two is my favorite. Their argument scene was really good, I think because I saw it coming. Everyone was excited after the end of book one but it had to happen eventually. They were still so different about how they felt about mysteries. I didn't know how that would end up. It was cute that Didrixe was more accepting in the end but also, the only scene in either book where she ever cries is when she felt bad about hurting Anastasia, that was so powerful to me. Like yes she's good at showing her feelings in other ways and she can be secretly sentimental but that was the moment where it showed just how much Didrixe cares about Anastasia. It was so sweet.

I am kind of jealous though because Future's Month sounds like a great idea and I wish we had something like that when I was in high school.

Rebekah wrote: I don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but book three popped up on Amazon. There's no cover yet but there's a title and description and release date. I'm getting slasher movie vibes mixed with Lovecraftian horror based on the summary.

THIS though. This is what I want. Give me all of the eldritch horror. It sounds like Wilfred and Corana will be back too, hopefully.

Now that the third one is almost here (and also the cover art dropped if you missed it) does anyone know how many books will be in this series? Did she say anywhere? I'm just now realizing this could just be a trilogy and I'm not ready for this to be over already!

The only time I remember hearing how many there will be was in private so I'm not sure if I should say. But I think I should be able to say don't worry about it stopping here.