I'm so glad I got the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition because it has extra goodies in it, and I will be adding them to my bookshelf immediately

A Darker Shore is a bonus novella in the beloved Six of Crows series, and I will forever be happy that we got more Crows content (especially in such a fun, unique form). This novella consists of a series of letters - and other primary documents/sources - between the Crows after an investigation is sparked regarding the captain of a ship called the Wraith. It's just over 60 pages, but jam-packed with Easter eggs, stunning artwork, and more Crows content.

The storyline itself mostly follows Inej's actions as captain of the Wraith (aka justice for the slavers), and Kaz's plot to protect her from the possible consequences. Most of this is told through correspondence between the two, as well as some meeting minutes from investigations by the wealthier side of Ketterdam. Even in such a short story, Bardugo manages to add some twists, and this book asks readers to channel their inner Kaz Brekker, as it contains a mini puzzle to solve for even more content (which I'll discuss shortly). While the novella isn't about a high-stakes heist or intricate revenge plot, it still matches the characteristic cleverness of the original duology, though with a more tender/sentimental feel that I think many readers will enjoy. Also, expect cameos or references to all of your favorite Crows, as well as brief mentions of some other fan-favorite Grishaverse characters. I'm so incredibly glad we got some extra closure with the Crows, and diving into this world again was so seamless it felt like I'd never left.

Just a small note on the puzzle, I really don't think it's that difficult to solve. I say this as someone who frequently completes escape rooms, including escape room books and puzzle boxes that definitely had similar elements to the puzzle in this book. That being said, I do think the actual process of completing the solution can be a bit tedious, especially if you're unable/unwilling to write in your copy, but the story does prompt the solution if you pay attention. I also don't think it's necessarily 100% required to solve the puzzle to understand the novella, so if you're struggling, I wouldn't worry too much. But it's a fun addition to the book, and I really enjoyed putting the pieces together.

A Darker Shore: Letters from Ketterdam is the extra novella for the Six of Crows duology, and if you're a fan and haven't read it yet, what are you doing?

4.75/5 (because I honestly think the puzzle could've been more complicated)

SPOILERS for the B&N Exclusive Edition Contents

Just in case you were debating which edition to purchase and want to know what bonus goodies you'll receive:

• A brief letter from Leigh Bardugo
• A wooden coin from Club Cumulus
• Four Crow Club cards (one for each suit)
• A flag reading "Aim True"
• A NMNF sticker (I received 2, but this might have been a mistake)

I got overly attached to the side characters again...who's surprised at this point

Chosen Son is the sequel to Fallen City, and it acts as a close to this NA fantasy duology set in a Greco-Roman world that follows two star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of a war. I was a bit hesitant to read this because I struggled with the pacing of book 1, but I ended up winning a giveaway copy, so I decided to try it. I can confidently say I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book, but there were a handful of small details that dropped the rating for me. I will admit that I think this is one of those series where the audience simply is not me; the story has a lot more of a romantic focus than I tend to prefer at times, which I think is probably a selling point for readers who aren't me.

This book picks up directly after the events of the previous one: Maris and Théo have fled the city of Isara to join forces with the Valshad, all so Maris can find her way back to her lover by infiltrating the enemy's forces. Meanwhile, Luca and Vale make plans to defend Isara, despite Luca's wavering loyalty to his duty. War is approaching, and without the favor of the gods, Isara may fall. My biggest issue with the first book was the alternating timelines in addition to the alternating POVs, so I have good news: book 2 is one chronological timeline! The bad news is that the pacing still felt kind of slow to me. For a duology about a literal war, I didn't get much sense of suspense for the first half, and while the second half picked up in both speed and conflict, the climax ended too quickly for it to truly feel impactful for me. Most of the first half of the book is spent training and planning, so I expected a bit more from the ending. I actually think the ending was one of my biggest struggles with this book. I was thoroughly enjoying this book more than the first until the ending rolled around, and I thought it was a bit easy, all things considered. I also don't really love the actual epilogue section; yes, the ending is satisfying, but I'm not 100% sure if it fits what the character arcs were leading toward. Am I glad that I finished the duology? Yes, I needed the closure, but I'm not as smitten with the ending as some others are.

Once again, I started becoming so attached to the side characters that I got bored with the main characters. As far as protagonists go, Maris and Luca are fine. They're deeply in love (even if I'm still not 100% convinced of their chemistry), and they've been separated by a war (oh no, the angst). I did appreciate Maris stepping into a more active role in the story as she began to train for battle. In a way, book 1 felt like it was dominated by Luca, and now book 2 feels heavy on Maris's sections. Because of this, I didn't feel like Luca got as much growth as Maris, but I suppose it's now balanced from book 1. Théo was easily my favorite character. He deserves so much more than what he gets, and I'm always a sucker for characters who could've had a dozen other fates, but ended up in this one. Also, I really liked the small snippets of the dynamics between Théo and Asinia...I almost wish they were the main characters because I feel like their relationship has so much complexity to explore. All in all, the cast of characters served their purposes, and even though Théo was my favorite, I didn't hate the portrayal of the others.

Chosen Son is the final book in the Fallen City Duology, and I'd recommend it to fans of Claire M. Andrews' Daughter of Sparta trilogy and S.E. Bouvier's When Gods Fall trilogy. Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for the free ARC!

3.25/5

2025 Review

Romeo and Juliet, but make it Greco-Roman-esque.

Fallen City is the first book in a new fantasy duology, and while I loved the concept, I wasn't a huge fan of the execution. I went into it not knowing much about it, so I was pleasantly surprised by the Greco-Roman influences (for some reason, I was expecting more urban fantasy vibes, which isn't always my thing). I also want to mention that I was reading this during a super busy week for me, which a) made the book take much longer to read and b) might have impacted my investment in the plot because I was distracted. However, had I read this any other time, I think my reactions to it would probably be similar.

Told in dual POVs and alternating timelines, the story follows Maris and Luca, both heirs to Magistrate seats, as they're forced onto opposite sides of a holy war. The past chapters detail Maris and Luca meeting and the development of their relationship, leading up to the outbreak of the "war." The present chapters follow the two of them trying to save each other and their city from the wreckage that will surely be wrought from the fighting. I wouldn't have minded the alternating timelines if not for the pacing; the first 75% of the book was very slow, and it felt like a lot of the scenes didn't actually have much action or events that propelled the plot forward. Also, because we already know how the past timeline ends, it takes away some of the suspense, which worked against the choice to alternate the timelines, as those chapters felt lower in terms of stakes. It was very focused on politics, which probably dragged down the pacing for me as well. The blurb made it sound like it would be more actual action/tension, so I was a bit disappointed. The pacing at the end was better, but I'm not sure if the ending really intrigued me enough to continue the series. It's a shame because I really love the idea of a holy war, a boy blessed by the gods (the halo!), and just the Greco-Roman vibes.

The character dynamics reminded me a lot of Romeo & Juliet. Maris was very much a dreamer, but I struggled to connect to her because it felt like she was constantly getting dragged along by the plot. Even though she actively made plans, they never came to fruition (at least that I noticed), and outside of that, it felt like she didn't have as much personality as Luca, unfortunately. Luca, on the other hand, felt a bit more complex because of his backstory and coming-of-age arc. He still felt a bit more bland than I would've liked in a protagonist, but I did enjoy his POVs just a bit more. Their relationship was okay; it felt underdeveloped because the past chapters were spread out over a long period of time, and so we didn't see their relationship actually evolve. As for side characters, only Théo really intrigued me (I want backstory!), but by the end, I started to like Vale as well. I might have appreciated a dramatis personae, but I think that could've been because of the circumstances outside my reading.

Fallen City is the first book in a new fantasy duology with Greco-Roman vibes and a Romeo & Juliet-esque love story, perfect for readers who enjoy stories full of yearning and prevailing love. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

2026 Review

I reread this to prepare for book 2, and my thoughts have pretty much remained the same. Théo remains my favorite character, and the dual-POV/dual-timeline structure continues to be my biggest struggle with this book. I am going to bump my rating down a quarter star just because I now know it wasn't the circumstances of reading that posed an issue for me (and also to align more closely to my rating scale for this year). This book definitely has potential, hence why I'll be reading book 2, but I do think it acts almost as a prequel for itself, and I'm hoping the sequel will be worth the slowburn of book 1.

3.25/5