*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

This was...unexpected. I loved the first book yet this one, felt like it dragged a lot. And come on, it's December 2024, nearly 2025. Stop with love triangles. It's messy and it doesn't raise the stakes as you think it does! Ugh!
Other than that, I loved it. Just for the world building!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

This book took me a while to get in to and I feel as though it lulled quite a lot at the start, given the fact that it is a longer than average book, I do feel as though the fist 40% could have been condensed.

I feel as well that there were quite a few plot holes which weren’t quite filled by the end of the book. It was definitely interesting to get to know more about the characters, but again I really struggle with love triangles which was a theme in the book.

The authors writing is good and descriptive.

First of all i’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly I had pretty big expectations for this one. From the moment I started the first book in the series, I was deeply immersed in the story and found myself highly enjoying the unique world the author constructed. So yeah, expectations were raised pretty high!

I have to say, which i’ve seen mentioned in other reviews aswell, the book took a bit to get truly going. I’m not a very patient person (at all), so you can imagine, I struggled quite a bit at the beginning. But fortunately, when the story did get going, it truly GOT going. As a reader you were taken an quite a wild ride, and the author dished out quite a few new plot points that were highly intriguing.

Yet again, just like in the previous novel, I adored the relationship between Fia and Irian and the way it was portrayed very realistically. No relationship is without it’s hardships and I heavily respect when an author doesn’t shy away from this.

The only thing I was a bit disappointed about is that we didn’t get a lot of scenes from the competition itself. Of course the story took place around it, and in the end it made sense storywise, for it to feature as a more background storyline, but still I would’ve loved to see just a few more scenes, just to raise the stakes a bit higher.

Other than that, I really liked this second book and i’m looking forward to the next one!

4/5

I was so so looking forward to this book. I loved 'A Feather So Black' so much that I couldn't wait to read this.

I loved the story direction in general. But I did have issues with the character development. They held each other back a lot throughout the story which became frustrating after a while. The relationships seem disjointed between Fia and Irian which seems completely different to the direction they were headed in he first book.

The tournament was giving a bit of tri-wizard tournament, but we don't actually see any of the trials which I think would have added a little something to the story. And would have made her side quest to find out the source of the kings power make more sense, so that we actually felt like she was juggling multiple things, trying to keep herself afloat.

I almost wish the first book had been a stand alone which ended with the first section of the second book. The first chapter could have been an epilogue.

REVIEW TO COME. I am currently broken and need to put my pieces back together before I form a coherent review instead of nonsensical ravings about how much I adored this.

All in all, 10/10 I NEED MORE OF IRIAN PLSS. I shall edit this with a full review VERY SOON. Give me two days to shed all my tears.

I really loved the first book in this series (A Feather So Black).
And I loved this one just as much. Such a visually beautiful world, true fantasy and I love the characters so much!
Can not wait for the next one!

If you enjoyed book one, you'll enjoy book two!

I continued to be invested in Fia's hope for a better world and finding her place in it. She doesn't rely on others to achieve her goals, but builds true friendships to support them.

The relationship between Fia and Irian continues in this book, but I would class it as a fantasy romance book rather than a romantasy - I enjoyed the story and how it all pulled together to conclude book 2.

I'm giving this 4 stars but may up it once I've read book 3 in the trilogy!

Also, I really don't like Eala! I hope karma gets her!

I have never squealed in delight at receiving an arc before… but I did for this! We dive straight back into the action after a Feather so Black and its wonderful, Fia has survived and she’s a swan, when she’s ready she transforms back to herself and she’s straight into Irian’s arms, is beautiful - but…
Irian is so worried about losing Fia again he becomes oppressive, he takes away the partnership they’d built and starts keeping things from her and stops consulting her with plans, and it’s hard to read. Fia pulls away and it’s so heart wrenching.
I loved the idea of the trials to gain a wish, but it was so difficult to get into what was happening while Irian and Fia were at odds, and especially when she leaves him and breaks their marriage vows - I couldn’t fight back the tears!

After being sent from the trials by Irian in an unexpected act of control, Fia joins Weyland - Irian’s foster brother - to find a way to destroy his father and remove him from power effectively, this part of the story was brilliant, I loved The Years and how they tried to unbind her from Galvin - but I didn’t expect her to bind herself to Fia, and after Irian and Fia FINALLY came back together, Irian lost her AGAAAIIIINNNNN, it’s just so hard to see it happening again, especially when Irian had finally accepted Fia is her own person and needs to make her own choices and mistakes.

Overall, I don’t think the book was as gripping as the first, whether it was because of the relationship troubles or something else, I’m not sure.

Most importantly though, Lyra has created characters that I’m so invested in, her writing style is magical, and the world building is beautiful- for me to have such a passionate reaction to a book is rare, so that says a lot for whether you should dive into book two (and in case it wasn’t clear - you should!)

I have mixed emotions over this book. because I loved the first book SO much, I was expecting this one to be just as great. however, I just couldn’t overlook a couple of things that bothered me and that’s why I have to give this 4 stars instead of 5.

starting with the setting, I think it was a great move to have the plot centred in a different location than the first book - it really brought something fresh and interesting to the story. I fell in love with the Silver Isle and its many secrets and intricacies.

I also appreciated that we get introduced to a new cast of characters, while maintaining the focus on the ones we’ve come to love from the first book (I’m looking at you, Irian 🫶🏻). there’s a certain found family dynamic that fit in really well with the plot and the really high stakes.

now, in terms of aspects that I didn’t particularly enjoy, I have to mention Fia’s behaviour towards Irian for most of the book. I know that it’s a popular choice in second books to have the main couple go through a conflict and be separated for the majority of the book, but I was hoping for something else in this case. Fia had a complete change of personality for about 50% percent of the book in order to drive the conflict forward, and it just wasn’t believable. I do have to admit that when Irian and Fia weren’t at odds with each other, their interactions were EVERYTHING. Irian, the man that you are 🖤

another thing that was sort of misleading from the synopsis are the trials. I was expecting them to play a much larger role than they actually do. we don’t even see or know much about each trial.

all in all, I did enjoy this book after the action started picking up and it became clear what the characters’ motivations were, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the final book!! 💚

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Love love love! My most anticipated released.I absolutely loved A Crown So Silver.From the very first page, I was swept away into an enchanting world filled with intrigue, complex characters, and a plot that kept me hooked until the very end. The author’s world-building is simply masterful; the descriptions of the settings are vivid and immersive, making it easy to picture every scene in my mind.

The characters are so well-developed, with emotional depth that makes them feel real. I found myself rooting for the protagonist, as they navigated the challenges of power, politics, and personal growth. The romance in the story was equally captivating — it was slow-burn, perfectly paced, and full of tension that kept me turning the pages.

The twists and turns in the plot were unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing was spot-on, with enough action and emotional moments to balance the tension.

Overall, A Crown So Silver is a beautifully written fantasy that I can’t recommend enough. If you love fantasy with strong world-building, compelling characters, and a plot full of twists, this book will not disappoint!

So I've got to be honest. I really regret applying for this book as an ARC, as now it means I need Book 3 injected into my veins, and I get that's such an unreasonable feeling when Book 2 isn't even out!!!!
I enjoyed A Feather so Black so much, and I genuinely screamed when I was approved for this. I cannot thank those involved enough. This book was beautifully written, and so poetic and beautiful. I love the world building, and the characters, and just everything.
I genuinely haven't felt this way about a book since I read ACOMAF; every single page kept me gripped, I loved the characters and they made me feel so much. There were times I was so worried about Fia and Irian, and slightly in love with Wayland, and so annoyed at Eala. My favourite character is Pond Scum, and I hope this iconic beastie makes a comeback in Book 3.
The relationships in this are so genuine; Irian and Fia are both reeling from Fia's death and resurrection, and whilst Irian did act in crappy ways, it's really easy to see where he's coming from. I won't lie, I was really worried we were getting "Tamlin'ed" at some points of this. Both characters go through their own heartbreaks, and they come together so much stronger. I really liked getting to know about Irian's past. Also, Lyra Selene is diabolical by giving us 2 Irian POV chapters.
My favourite thing about this was the fact it picks up immediately from Book 1 - there was no awkward time jump or anything, just straight into it.
I wrote down quotes that I loved to include in my review, but I've ended up with like 100 quotes written down which is probably too many to use without giving away major spoilers, but I plan on posting a few here and there on my instagram @a_pixie_bookshelf in the months coming up to release

Also side note, there was a little thing early on in the book hinting Book 3's title and as stupid as I sound, I felt so smart when I guessed Book 3's title.