When I originally finished Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo, I was left in tatters, wondering what she could possibly do to these characters next. The world of the Creije is so fierce, dangerous, and incredibly volatile. All it needs is the spark of villainy to plunge the underworld into darkness. When I picked up City of Spells, I knew I was in for an edge of my seat ride that would leave me breathless and readers certainly won’t be disappointed. Moreover, I found myself falling in love with the characters all over again. It was great reading about Tavia and Saxony’s fractured friendship, but overall, there’s a big theme about healing going on in this story that perhaps makes the journey even more worthwhile. This is definitely one to add to your list to read, and if you haven’t picked up the first book of this duology, you definitely want to get on it!
Please note that there will be some spoilers to the ending of Into the Crooked Place. Turn back now if you don’t want to be spoiled!
With the loss of Wesley and the reveal that Zekia has been helping the Kingpin willingly, Tavia, Saxony, and Karam are forced to flee to Saxony’s home to attempt to rebuild the rebellion. At the same time, Wesley is fighting the tortures of the darkness being inflicted upon him by the Kingpin and Zekia, and he has to find a way out before it’s too late. The group will have to decide just how far they’re willing to go in order to save Creije and the ones they love before everything is lost.
Man, I wasn’t sure how this story was going to go, but it begins just as dark and gritty as the first installment. We get some interesting backstory that becomes very relevant toward the middle/end of the book, along with snippets of how each of our beloved characters are doing. Tavia is recklessly doing her best to rally support for the rebellion, while also antagonising Saxony every chance she gets. Naturally, she’s still reeling from some betrayal and hurt, and I love the focus that Christo puts on this relationship. Even better is how it ends up putting a larger focus on Karam. These two definitely clashed for a majority of the last book, but with the strain on Saxony’s relationship with Tavia, Karam really steps up to try to protect Tavia in the best way she knows how.
There’s so much darkness that these characters are carrying deep within themselves that gets explored, but the addition of Zekia’s perspective in the book was fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, I hated her character for a majority of it, but it was hard because all of these kids are having to make some pretty tough choices. Wesley is in a pretty dark place, and while he’s not lost hope, he’s pretty close to it. Zekia’s choices don’t make it any easier.
With the story progressing quickly, there’s a bit of a need to make sure you’re taking your time to read carefully so you don’t miss anything that might just change the whole tone of the story. There’s little tidbits and pieces that are all around that help create a much bigger picture for what is to come. With so much action happening in the book, there seemed to be less focus on the magic (not that there wasn’t any), so the magic aspect of this story in the first book was more enjoyable than in the sequel.
The romance in the book definitely wasn’t disappointing! While this book doesn’t revolve around romance, the little scenes that we get with each couple were enjoyable and they made me squeal in delight. I’m always a sucker for a good confession, and Christo definitely did justice to the romances in this book. The significance of found family vs. blood relations was also incredibly important in this novel. There’s quite a bit more talk about that in this book that I was expecting it to go a certain way (until *spoiler* reveal), but there is something quite special about this discussion as well. There’s acknowledgement of complicated emotions that go along with it, and it was absolutely riveting.
Even though there’s quite a bit going on in the book, there was a satisfying resolution and ending to the story that readers will enjoy. Some might see certain things coming, which is absolutely okay, and others might be just as surprised when they get to certain scenes in the book.
City of Spells is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up City of Spells? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
City of Spells, the follow-up to Alexandra Christo’s gritty YA fantasy, Into the Crooked Place, finds the world on the brink of war and four unlikely allies facing sacrifices they had never imagined.
After the loss of Wesley and the horrifying reveal that Zekia is helping the Kingpin of her own free will, Tavia, Saxony, and Karam flee to Saxony’s home to rebuild their rebellion. Meanwhile, trapped in the Kingpin’s darkness, Wesley must fight against the deadly magic that invades his mind and find a way back to his friends before it’s too late.
As the Kingpin’s dark magic spreads and his army conquers Creije, these four unlikely friends have to decide just how far they’ll go―and how much they are willing to sacrifice―to win.
