Good twists and turns, adventure, and a strong emphasis on friendship! A bit weak on the romance and villain motivation. Saskia was horrible and obsessively focused on her task yet I didn't hate her. I also think some characters were underused like Niklas. Still, the pacing was great.

In the midst of Saskia's quest for revenge, the apprentices have bone games, different trials they must complete for their studies. I enjoyed the first one because it dealt with morality and the law, whereas the second one felt a bit YA tropey. Unique ending since the protagonist and the antagonist gets a happy ending. I'm a little iffy with this. On one hand, there's a "revenge is not the way" message, but, after all of Latham's dirt, I wanted him to suffer to some extent. I guess Saskia defeated him before he became the villain this time.

I think for the most part this was a fitting conclusion though I liked the first book better. The different bone magics and their subsets are still fascinating to me. I wouldn't mind another story set in this universe.

3.5 ( )