There’s always high hopes coming into a sequel for a beloved series. And from a beloved author. That was me going into Vilest Things. And I don’t know why I was worried considering the ending of Immortal Longings and also Vilest Things! Keep reading this book review of Vilest Things for my full thoughts.
Summary
Calla Tuoleimi has succeeded in the impossible. Despite the odds, she has won San-Er’s bloody games and eliminated King Kasa, her tyrant uncle and the former ruler of Talin. She serves now as royal advisor to Kasa’s adopted son, August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne.
Only Calla knows it isn’t really August.
Anton Makusa is still furious about Calla’s betrayal in the final round of the games. In an impossible feat, he took over August’s body to survive, and has no intention of giving up this newfound power. But when his first love, the beautiful, explosive Otta Avia, awakens from a years-long coma and reveals a secret that threatens the monarchy’s authority over Talin, chaos erupts. As tensions come to a boiling point, Calla and Anton must set their conflicts aside and head to the kingdom’s far reaches to prevent anarchy… even if their empire might be better off burning.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Vilest Things reels from the betrayal. We become re-immersed in these plots and what we quickly find out is that there’s more than meets the eyes. Things which have been set in motion which cannot be undone. Things which have happened before we ever opened Immortal Longings. Conflicts, betrayals, and sabotage which predates what we ever knew. Vilest Things becomes about the hurts they’ve dealt to each other. Can they move past these scars? The wounds they’re still inflicting? Vilest Things is about unraveling the strings of the past.
It feels expansive and almost like we’ve taken Immortal Longings and zoomed out. We’ve seen the petty power plays in the games and now we can witness the ways the public, the rest of the world, views them. The chaos of rebellion, of unrest, and the tides changing. Vilest Things also explores the history which can be re-written, erased, excluded. Full of discoveries, Vilest Things revolves around chaos, sacrifice, and ambition. About not only amassing power, but about keeping the power. The knowledge that power only wants more.
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I cannot wait for the next book, which feels cruel saying before Vilest Things is even released. However, the ending!! I have to say it! Chloe Gong is a true master at an ending. Find Vilest Things on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.