6⭐️1🌶 I finished Ballad for the Broken last evening and needed a good night's rest to collect my thoughts on this one. It was amazing, no question about it. It sent me through an emotional roller coaster. The MMC and the FMC Draven and Lyra are both complex well thought out characters. They share similar trauma and worked through it together in book 1. This book starts out with them separated. Lyra was taken by *redacted* who on the surface seems like a bad guy. Well, he is fighting his own demons and after Lyra spends a lot of time with him, she comes to understand him at least a little bit better. Slight spoiler ahead. Lyra and Draven are reunited, a group of them from Bethara are actually, and its looking really great at least for a little bit. I know how these things go and I knew it wouldn't last. I seriously contemplated stopping at the 85% mark because the band was back together and everyone had time t...
6⭐️.5🌶 I have a headache as I write this because I sobbed through the last 100 pages of this book. That is a high compliment in my world. I received the ARC of the sequel to this book. When I applied for that ARC I didn't know it was book 2 in a series. I was mildly miffed that the application didn't mention that anywhere especially since book 1 is over 500 pages and book 2 is close to 800. I take all that back, or at least half of it. Fallen Stars was absolutely amazing and I loved it. As long as the next book is this good or close, I'll love that one too. There is found family, banter for days and days and a slow burn with yearning. There is also a magic academy and trials which can be hit or miss for me, this one was a hit. They were done really well. The background of both the FMC, Lyra, and the MMC, Draven, is dark, deep and sad. Both the backstories are revealed slowly, methodically over the...