After the triumph of This Dark Descent, I knew I had to read this sequel. And wow, I thought a lot happened in the first one! Our Deadly Designs is a book about rebellion, power, and change. Would we burn the world for the one we love? Or sacrifice the one we love for the world? Keep reading this book review of Our Deadly Designs for my full thoughts.
Summary
The Illinir may be over, but the race for Enderlain’s future has just begun. The hunt for the old king’s lost heir is on, and the first to find them will win the throne.
Mikira has allied herself with the rebels in pursuit of the lost heir, but the deeper her search takes her, the closer she gets to the royal family’s wicked past.
Ari is struggling to control her own growing power as she grapples with a dark secret that may be her undoing — and the truth behind Damien’s greatest foe.
Damien, the new head of House Adair, joins the race to find the heir and secure the crown. But as his influence at court grows, so does his paranoia and hunger for power.
Reid is trying his best to stay true to the friend who’s always had his loyalty — and the flame who has his heart — while trapped in a web of chaos and lies.
But a darker force is festering in Enderlain’s underbelly, and Mikira, Ari, Damien, and Reid will need to find a way back to each other — and themselves — before the kingdom is torn apart. Hearts will be broken and new bonds will be forged in this explosive finale to This Dark Descent, where spellbinding fantasy meets Jewish mythology in a cut-throat race for the throne — and Enderlain’s survival.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I was so excited for Our Deadly Designs. Listening to this audiobook, with its multiple narrators, was absolutely the push I needed to jump in. Our Deadly Designs very much has a Catching Fire feeling not only to its discussions of rebellion, but also how it’s very much still reeling from the events of This Dark Descent. A pressing question is asking us whether we can live with what we’ve done. Can we ever get over the betrayals and pain we have wrought? There’s politics and politics in Our Deadly Designs as all the characters struggle with figuring out what the future should look like and how – most importantly – to get there.
Friendship and relationships have been tested. In a world where we’re focused on what we can do for someone, how can we ever truly prove our usefulness? Most importantly, Our Deadly Designs examines whether we can have a new system. Whether we can make change withing the framework of what we have. Being multiple narrator was not only practically helpful, I liked the narration from Alex Wingfield, Laurel Lefkow & Rebecca Norfolk and the ways they made my heart ache. At various points, we aren’t sure who’s doing wrong for the right reasons, or right for the wrong reasons. Their narration lends a human aspect to this gray space.
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Ultimately if you enjoyed This Dark Descent then you need to read this sequel. But if you also love the question of whether we have to become a monster to take down a monster, then read this one! It explores nuanced and difficult questions of whether we can ever really use power for good. Find Our Deadly Designs on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.