“Someone who let her youngest sister risk her life every day in the woods while she did nothing.  Someone who let a fourteen-year-old child go out into that forest, so close to the wall. [...] Your sister died—died to save my people. She is willing to do so again to protect you from war. So don’t expect me to sit here with my mouth shut while you sneer at her for a choice she did not get to make—and insult my people in the process.”
— Cassian to Nessa —

Welcome everyone to the second chapter of Outshine the Previous series. If you are new for this blog, this series also a new one that i made in order to give a comparison a book with its previous book in the series, because obviously by the title you already know that the book is better than the previous one. Well i think it's become a habit of me to compare books, either from the movie adaptation, the previous, also the third book compare with the other two, i dunno if comparing is a healthy habit or not in this case, but i hope i don't give a bad vibe by comparing too much. 

Anyway, the objective of this series is to give you a will to give a second chance for the series that didn't really work out in the previous book, and if you give a second chance to read the next book (which is the one that i included in this series) is worth a try and why. Anyway without further ado, let's dive into it!

Previous Book

I guess you guys already know about the previous book of it because it's so hype. This book is the second book of ACOTAR series (A Court of Thorns and Roses) which i previously review, so if you haven't read the review, kindly just click the picture below.

To review about the first book, the story start with Feyre, a poor human girl who got to live in Fae World across the wall with the Spring Court High Fae, Tamlin who's cursed along with all his court members to unable to lift their mask for 49 years already unless he find a human girl who killed fae with hatred and made her in love with him. 

Feyre, the girl who killed one of his sentries, is the one who can lift that curse who set by Amarantha, general of Hybern (a small island of fae who invade the Prythian, the Fae World beside the human World where Feyre live) not only made deal with her about the curse in Spring Court, also ask Amarantha to give back all the power she hold from other courts too.  There we go, Feyre not only the Belle for the Beast, but also the human who become the salvation for Faeries. 

Synopsis

After the event in under the mountain, Feyre come back to Spring court to live with Tamlin. Both Feyre and Tamlin are suffering for traumatic event back in under the mountain. Feyre always woke at night by nightmare and suffering a lot for that, Tamlin in other hand also traumatized by staying in his beast form a lot while sleeping. But both of them didn't talk much about that PTSD. 

But the bond she made with Rhysand for stay with him in night court for one week each month just set the trouble for Tamlin. Tamlin become super posesive of her, always have someone to accompany her everywhere which made her feel more frustrated, and somehow the one week each month with Rhysand become one of things that she anticipate. 

In the Wedding day, Feyre realized that she can't marry Tamlin, desperately asking for help, which lead for the "rescue" from Rhysand who came to help her get away from Spring Court. Rhysand asked her to learn to read, and also help her discover her power since she got it from all the High Fae from each Court. Then when she get back to Spring Court again, she find herself can't leave the house because Tamlin set the spell. Escaped from Spring Court to Night Court with Rhysand, she discovered that they are facing the inevitable war with the Hybern. 

Why Worth a Second Chance?

In the first book, it shows how different a Fae World with Human's, where human world suffering in hungers, the Fae World just blessed with plenty food. The plot is more slow at the beginning of the first book, i keep wondering what is this book all about, is it just about a beast who fall in love with human girl who awfully hate him, or is it other part that included. 

I got to say i kind of enjoy Feyre's bravery for hunting Suriel in order to get the answer for the treaty she had to fulfill with living with Tamlin. I love the first quest she encounter for getting Tamlin back form Amarantha. I think that's the part i like the most.

But i don't like lots of things in the book, I kind of like Tamlin for sad character, but he just weak. Weak for just sending Feyre back to human world not even try till the last day of treaty, weak for just staying there and not fighting hard enough to kill Amarantha, beg to her instead, which made Feyre face the death.

I already said i don't like Rhysand in the first book. A lot. But i gave him more credit in this second book. For giving Feyre a free will to choose what she want and what she decide, treat her like his equal and not just like "she's my mate! come here you girl!" and let Feyre decide and discover her true feeling to him instead of saying it bluntly while she's still suffering from the trauma and heartbreak for Tamlin.  Although all the things he did in the first book still can't be accepted, even after what he has told Feyre why he behaved like that, but i gave him credit for being such a gentleman and support Feryre a lot to discover more of her power. 

This book also include a lot of small quest that i always love. A quest to steal the book in Summer Court, traveling to human world to meet with the human queen for the other half of the book, going to Hybern to null the Cauldron power, they are just the one that made i fell into reading frenzy because i just can't wait to know what's next. 

I also find Cassian as one of my favorite character in this book. He reminds me a lot to Janco in Chronicle of Ixia series. Cassian and Azriel combo just reminds me a lot to Janco and Ari. A LOT. With Cassian who always speak what he want and Azriel the opposite, just reminds me a lot with Janco and Ari a lot. 

In Conclusion

I definitely suggest you to read the this book if you kind of hate the first book. I gave it Uh-Yeah  (read my rating system here if you don't get what it means) for the rating the book). The only down side of the book is that it felt anti climax by the last chapter of the book. I think it left quite well if it's cliff hanging after the Hybern event.  And yes, i came to like Rhysand more in here, and Yet again, i remind you that this book contains explicit content for adult, even bolder than the first book if you want to compare it, so i would not recommend young reader to read this one. 

Previous Chapter of this Series