This book had quite a slow start and I felt as though it was losing me throughout. I just had to push through. But a little over halfway was when the action began. Elise Lysander is everything. Strong, "the kind heart" and amazing in every way. I love everything about her and her constant need to fight for what is right, for her rights, and also how she fought for Valen and never stopped. I found there were certain parts of the plot that jumped around, especially towards the end. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but it also wasn't satisfying. I think that there were certain parts of the book that needed to be expanded on, and others which could have been cut down on. But again it was a decent book. I felt like Ari and Elise also had a lot more chemistry than her and Valen. Like Ari and Elise carried this novel on their backs. I'm excited to jump into the third book and see how everything unfolds.

This is the first fanfic I've read and I was just blown away. First of all, this was better than nearly all the books I've read in the past year. While it did have some typos in places, I was able to overlook it because of how gripping the plot was and how well written the characters were. Both Draco and Hermione were well written, I love how their grief and trauma was explored throughout the books. It wasn't ever glossed over and it felt real in every experience. Hermione's panic attacks, no matter how regular, showed how brutal it was during the war. my heart absolutely broke for her because of her loneliness, losing friends who wouldn't even see her or acknowledge her feelings, and dismissed her ideas even when it could have helped. "It's not your job to keep breaking yourself to pieces to save everyone. Have you seen yourself, Granger? there's hardly anything left of you." There were so many topics which were explored and were very interesting. For example, the idea of good and bad being a shade of grey instead of either black or white, and the consequences of those actions when fought on the extremes vs the in between. It really showed when understanding the characters and their motives. " Everyone who wins say they were good, but they're the ones who write the history. I haven't seen anything indicating that it was actually moral superiority that made a difference." Manacled was definitely a story that was beyond Dramione and their love story. I loved everything about it. The ending absolutely broke me and I cried so many times during the story. I'm at a loss for words at how brilliant this was.

The second book was a vast improvement in comparison to the first. This book had me on the edge of my seat and guessing who the killer was. I guessed correctly. It was a twisty, wild ride and I did not expect the ending at all. I really wanted more. Voss and Nola's relationship had more sexual chemistry than real emotional chemistry and I didn't feel anything for them. Both characters fell flat. But I'm happy they got a happy ending. I really enjoyed the sandman chapters and getting to know the inner workings of his mind and why he was the way he was. His backstory was tragic and you could really see the nature vs nurture brought to life through him. This was a great conclusion to the duology!