I do love a good “do over” story! This YA is centered around a girl that lost her beloved sister and would do anything to get her back. She’s given the opportunity to do just that, but at what cost?

It felt a little surreal reading from the perspective of a teenager in current day. They’re super woke and make comments on movies like Adam Sandlers “Click” and make fun of a teacher for having a lava lamp (ouch 😭). I’m in my 20s but that shit made me feel old.

I will give the author credit, I didn’t see the killer coming. That reveal was a shock for me, however, I’m not very pleased with the ending. The way everything was pinned on one person from the beginning wasn’t given enough explanation for my liking either. The blame was shifted to someone unexpected without much reasoning and I’m just supposed to be okay with that. I get too hung up on the details for that 😅

While the first book focuses on world building, the second is all about upping the stakes and character development. A perfect book two!

Learning more about how this work is impacting Din’s mental health and the challenging decisions he must make for his career felt so natural in such an unnatural place. Speaking of unnatural… learning anything about Ana is an exciting adventure in itself and I have a feeling book three is going to spill some very desirable secrets!

As for the case, like I said, reeeaaally upping the stakes here. It felt like a big leap from the last book but not in a bad way. Some time has passed and they’ve worked more cases so it was time for a shocker. It does make me wonder what they’ll be working in book three…

The book wraps up nicely, just like the last one, so I don’t feel as though I’m being left to die in a cliffhanger while waiting for the release of the next book. I’m eager as hell to get my hands on it anyway!

WOW. If you enjoyed The Five Penalties, you absolutely must read this book and each one that follows. This fantasy thriller resembles a Sherlock and Watson dynamic that I simply could not get enough of. The unique world building, politics, and abilities of the characters sets the stage for this incredibly engaging storyline. While this particular case is wrapped up nicely by the end of the book, it was impossible to even wait an hour before picking up the next one because I felt so strongly connected to the characters and needed to know how they progressed.