We have all been waiting for this sequel. The Last One completely took me by storm, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting this sequel! Keep reading this book review of The Cruel Dawn for my full thoughts.
Summary
A god’s wrath is unforgettable. Her love, even more dangerous.
Kaivara Megidrail was once worshipped as the Grand Defender of Vallendor―until betrayal, punishment, and exile left her Diminished. Now, the realm she abandoned teeters on the edge of collapse. Monsters roam free. Gods whisper in shadows. And one man―Jadon Wake, prince, blacksmith, liar―may be the key to her salvation…or her final ruin.
Haunted by the past, hunted by divine enemies, and armed with only fractured Memories and an unrelenting will, Kaivara must choose: reclaim her power and face the truth about Jadon, or watch Vallendor fall to a traitorous god’s rising.
The realm called her a destroyer. This time, they’ll learn what she was truly made for.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
My favorite element of The Cruel Dawn has to be the character growth. The Cruel Dawn throws us in headfirst from The Last One. While it took me a bit to find my footing, Kai has been through it. She’s been betrayed, her world has been turned upside down, and she’s now thrown back into this environment and being asked, “are you the same? And that’s what I loved. I loved that we are able to figure out is Kai different? Has The Last One changed who Kai is, what she feels, and what she will do now? Are we always doomed to repeat our own mistakes? This was a late game theme in the first one and a constant theme in this one.
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If you love a main character who has to figure out who she wants to be now, this is for you! It’s full of characters who see her and her return and hold her to the standards of who she was. But who is she now? The Cruel Dawn asks us if she can ever win and, more importantly, if she can escape her past. With all the betrayals from before, can she trust anyone? A late theme in The Cruel Dawn which I also loved is the question of if we have to have power stripped away from us to save us. We know that power corrupts, so where is the line between power which helps us, helps those around us, and hurts us.
The Cruel Dawn is a whirlwind with so many new characters it was hard to keep up sometimes. But it’s such a thematic tour de force and I enjoyed watching Kai’s character growth. Find The Cruel Dawn on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.