I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After absolutely loving the first book in the series, I was really excited to have the chance to read this one. It’s taken me some time to get here, but now I’m done! So here is my review:
It’s been a month since 19-year-old Daniel Gale survived a vicious attack at Willard’s department store. As the culprit waits behind bars for a court date, Daniel and Mary spend every night shift researching Willard’s history in order to find some clue to save Mary and the others from a life stuck in the department store. But when an ally passes away, it reveals a shocking letter filled with confessions that will make Daniel and Mary question everything they thought they knew.
After really loving the first book, I am sad to admit that this one left me quite disappointed. The magic and the glamorous vibe were non-existent, and the plot plodded on to the point where I simply couldn’t care. Most of this novel was filled with Daniel wandering around, moping because he wanted to spend more time with Mary. And there were so many impassioned moments where they declared their love for each other… and it was really cringe-worthy. I couldn’t really feel the “true love” angle that the author was throwing in, because it just seemed to happen so quickly and with no real development! There was so much focus on the romance that I felt that the actual mystery-solving aspect got very little attention. I was craving clues and the kind of intrigue and suspicion that were the focal point in the previous novel. But since the author just glazed over it, I didn’t really feel invested. There were so many things that the author left open-ended in the book and that really bothered me. I don’t want to reveal any of them now because I don’t want to spoil the story but I really hope she clarifies it in the next novel. The last 50 pages or so moved at a very quick pace, which was a bit startling to read. But the author did leave an interesting segue for the next book in the series. I will definitely give the next novel a chance because there is a lot of potential for this series… I just hope that the author focuses more on the plot than the lovey-dovey feelings between Mary and Daniel!
Happy reading ~
