A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2)

[A Quick Note: This is the second book in the bargainer series. I reviewed the first a few posts ago. I decided to flip the covers to the reverse side for these photos. I just adore both sides but this side especially. And those edges are perfection. I mean, how can you not love these editions. They are some of the prettiest I own. I love how this photo turned out.]

“𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞.” —Laura Thalassa

Callie is free of Karnon’s clutches. The fauna kingdom is left in ruin. And the fairies from that kingdom want revenge. Leading up to, and set during a truce period in the flora kingdom, Callie and Des must navigate fairy politics while confronting the ongoing disappearance of male fairies.

I liked this one more than the first! We see a different structure. There aren’t anymore flashbacks because we are all caught up on Callie and Desmond’s past. Best of all, it’s set entirely in the fairy world. The plot packed a punch in this one, with just the right amount of romance and background action. The emotional development was good too. The author really found her stride with this one!

From an emotional standpoint, Callie is forced to face the aftermath of her kidnapping. More importantly, she must come to terms with the changes forced on her body. When she looks in the mirror, she’s reminded about what she went through. Des helps her see that she is truly beautiful. In time, she grows to love the changes. I love that Des reminded her that she was someone to be feared. He always lifted her up in a way that was sweet and sexy.

The fairy world!!!!! I loved seeing more of the fairy world, the politics that govern the four courts, and the Thief of Souls. At the start of the story, Callie gets a tour of the world, going to each floating city in the night kingdom. Of course, the rugged Barbos floating city with all the riffraff was a lot of fun. Probably my favorite place because we got to see a totally different side of Des. I also loved that Temperance was included in this book. Getting to see her badass appearance was so fun and exciting. She’s an amazing side character.

“𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬.” —Laura Thalassa

The romance between Callie and Des shines. It continues to take front-center stage. I love that. Their love deepens a lot in this one. They grow closer together. There’s still some spice that keeps things fresh. They’re just so darn cute together! I read these books for the romance, lets face it. But it’s nice that there’s plenty of satisfying plot to accompany.

𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝟓/𝟓⭐️