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Beatrice Harrow #2

The Soulstoy Inheritance

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The second book of the Beatrice Hallows series.

Exiled for a treason that she did not commit and estranged from her friends, Beatrice Harrow finds herself caught up in the politics of her unwanted kingdom. With the looming Throne Test and a High Council to contend with, she soon discovers that the Synfee Empire without Nareon is a dangerous, duplicitous place. It feels as if her grip is slipping, with Nareon mysteriously gaining strength and an invisible enemy threatening her from both sides of the border. How long will it be until the whisperings of war on the horizon become a reality, and she is forced to step into the role that she has been avoiding? And will Hazen Read, the newly crowned ruler of the human kingdom, stand with her, or against her?

Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2015

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About the author

Jane Washington

33 books4,506 followers
Jane is a Wall-Street Journal bestselling author who spends all her time writing books and then telling people not to read them.
Find her here: https://linktr.ee/janewashingtonbooks

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5 stars
1,027 (40%)
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877 (34%)
3 stars
463 (18%)
2 stars
123 (4%)
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37 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
Profile Image for Hetal.
800 reviews112 followers
March 16, 2016
I loved this story so so so much. Beatrice's story was such a unique one. She is queen of the synfee kingdom but thinks like a human. With a foot in both worlds, she has the power to create change, if only the humans and synfees can ovverrcome theier prejudice towards each other.

I wanted to give this book 5 stars, but a couple things prevented me from doing so:

1) The whole Beatrice being haphazardly everywhere with her love life. Her romantic antics with Harbringer were just, quite simply, nonsense. The whole " I thought I was forging my own path by wanting him" thing? NO.

2) The ending was left open to a point that reader, at least in my opinion, doesn't get the peace they should at the end of a series. Now I know at the end of Hereditary, Jane Washington mentioned that Soulstoy Inheritance would be the end and she would not write more about Beatrice because her island is small in terms of the world she created. A mere blot that other countries are unaware of. That doesn't mean that Beatrice and co shouldn't get a proper ending. For all we know Beatrice, Hazen and co could have died that very day at the end and we'll never know. This story deserved to be finished.

3) Beatric had to grow as a character. I get it. But, there was no need to shove it down our throats so obviously. THere were often lines like " two months ago, I would not have done this, but now I do this." Yes, we get it. You've grown. Growth is supposed to be a subtle transformation. Any good reader will get it. Don't point it out so obviously, it breaks the visual of the character I've been working to build in my mind.

Okay, I've complained enough. Overall, the book was awesome, It was tragic, with one hec of a plot twist at the end. Bea and Hazen know will never be perfect, but their love makes their lives perfect. They are exactly where they need to be, and that is where they WANT to be as well. Characters changed and left as is realistic to any real story. War brings sorrow, death, and break downs. I felt the sorrow, but despite it, the show must go on and it did.

I loved the new characters introduced in this book. Bea's personal guards Quick, Sweet, and I can't remember were great. They remind me somewhat of Janco and Ari from Poison Study. The loyal and reliable guards that stand by her side when shit hits the fan.

I'll definitely be reading this book again at some point. The story was intricate and fresh. It is different and quiter that other books I read in the fantasy genre, but that's what makes it perfect. If you haven't read Inheritence, I suggest you read it first, However. Otherwise, you'll be very lost. If you HAVE read Inheritence, yu MUST read Soulstoy because it wraps up Bea's character and life quite nicely (relatively, except for the end. If nothing else, read it for Hazen and Cale.)
Profile Image for Jessica.
285 reviews
February 22, 2018
Jane Washington is a favorite of mine. She writes such great characters. This is her first series and you can tell. There were a couple of things that didn't work for me, BUT in the end I could see JW's hallmarks and still enjoyed it. If you're new to her work, I encourage you to read her other series as well and watch her grow. Her stories are very character driven though, so you gotta love that kind of thing.
Profile Image for Eloise bt.
24 reviews4 followers
July 25, 2017
Bea Harrow comes into her own in the final novel of the series and I appreciated the strength and power she gained and demonstrated throughout the novel. Toward the end was surprising with the betrayals as I did not expect quite the extent the author would go to such as leif and quicks.

The end came up too fast for my liking as I thought there were going to be multiple books to come and when the series finished so quickly I was really surprised and disappointed although I prefer it finishing here instead of dragging on. It was a happy ending despite the death and war and I enjoyed it very much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kendall Berg.
217 reviews18 followers
April 6, 2016
Yay!
Yay!
Yay!

yay

All of the things about this book = excellent.

A summary of my feelings in Gifs:

poor girl
Poor Girl

Okay

date

I've ALWAYS been team Haven...Just saying.

betrayed

shock

yay

Yeah... So Pros:
1. Bea is awesome in this book. Stronger. More direct. Kicks some butt. Yeah.
2. FINALLY... That's all I'm gonna say but yeah I've wanted this since book one.
3. I did not see any of the twists coming. Seriously. My Mind was blown.
4. That loss...how will we all move on?
5. Sexy Haven Kisses. Yep.

Con:
There is only one: The major betrayal at the end of the book who I won't name but he turns on her and I didn't see it coming. It is never explained why. The other character's motives are explained but not his. WTH. I want to know why he did it!

Other than that this book was amazing. Seriously. Want to read it all over again.

And that cover art - Yes.

Book type: YA Paranormal Romance (maybe?)
Book rating: 4.8/5
Read time: 3 hours

For more reviews check out my blog: www.booksandchai.com
With love, parchment, and freshly mowed grass,
Kendall
Profile Image for Alisson Denofrio.
42 reviews1 follower
September 29, 2017
As usual, I prefer to write the review after I finish the series so it may contain some spoilers. The first book started with real potential and all the characters were very likeable, however as the story moved on, a few things left me a bit disappointed, such as:
(I) the romance was all over the place and albeit it was quite clear since the beginning that Beatrice felt something special for Hazen and vice versa, nothing happens between them until the very end when the author rushes the situation, which felt a bit unnatural and forced; (ii) The end of the second book left me wanting and not because it was such a great book that I wanted to read more about everyone. Don't get me wrong, I really liked this book and do want to read more about the characters but what I meant was that the book didn't feel finished at all and I really thought and hoped that there would be a third installment which I have already discovered there won't be. (iii) Although i admire an author who has the courage to kill good characters, in my opinion there were some unnecessary deaths in this book. (iv) some things were left unexplained such as: what happened with the Vallen war? How did they find out that the triplets were on Beatrice's side and why did they pretend to help Leif if in the end nothing good came from that? What happened to Ceren and Rohan after they helped Elias? What would happen to Hazen since he doesn't have Cale to share his mind with anymore? Why did Hazen wait so much to tell Beatrice how he felt and vice versa?
All in all, the books are good and i do recommend people to read them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for L..
Author 2 books48 followers
July 14, 2017
I think this book and its predecessor were just too rushed. The tempo made a lot of the plot seem random and predictable. I felt like the characters did less developing and more straight up changing personalities in a night. This book reminded me of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series, in regards to the quick love, trials, and general character personalities. However, Maas' books are a bit longer, and I felt like she wrote more developed villains and more evocative emotional duress. Washington's writing is easy to read. It's also way more PG than Maas' series. I do think, however, that Washington needed another round of edits; like another review said, she had a bunch of small errors like swapping affected and effected. Overall, I am dissatisfied with this book and series, but I feel like if I were younger (say, ages 11-14) I would've really liked it. On a positive note, I thought it was interesting that Washington includes vampires with other more traditional high fantasy races (like fae and rangers).
Profile Image for Jennifer G.
2,844 reviews52 followers
April 30, 2017
Jane Washington has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She is a master at developing incredible casts of characters. Bea Harrow can be included among these great characters. The Soulstoy Inheritance continues where Hereditary left off. Bea is a young newly appointed queen, in way over her head and wanted for murder. In this second book we get to accompany Bea as she goes from a lost girl to a strong leader. She is a fantastic lead. She is surrounded by an equally developed cast of characters. Hazen, now king, Cale his guard, Rose the princess, and Harbringer all return with larger roles, plus we have a new cast of synfree. Ashen and Leif were wonderful additions. Each character is fully flushed out allowing for a book of greater depth.

This is another book of twists and turns, palace intrigues, betrayals both on a personal and professional level from those close to Bea, and unforeseen allies. There are unexpected loves, deaths, and arrivals.

I do have a complaint about the ending. I felt cheated out of several chapters. Instead of an epilogue, I would have preferred slower, more detailed pacing. Celebrations were a long time coming and well deserved. It would have been lovely to focus on the details instead of jumping over them. But all in all this was an excellent continuation.
Profile Image for A..
291 reviews
March 14, 2020
Good

I really enjoyed this book and it would've received a 5 star rating from me (which is what I gave the first book) if it weren't for a few things I thought were kind of irritating.

One of those things was the whole romantic element in this book. In both 'Hereditary' (Book One) and this book, the affections of the MC seem to kind of veer all over the place leading you to think one thing for half the book and then abruptly changing the situation.

Another thing was that, I dislike plots where a person is made out to be quite powerful and then they barely use their power, and never in important times where people's lives are on the line. Like what's the point in your Bender ability or Death ability if you're not going to use them?

Overall though, these were minor annoyances and I still thought this book and series (is it a series when there's only two books?) was definitely worth reading.
4.5 stars
Profile Image for Chelon.
401 reviews10 followers
August 5, 2017
Ok

The first book was better, this was OK some twist but just OK. Her falling in love with Hazen so fast is questionable, along with the fact that his mother and sister mourned Cale yet there is no mention of him feeling a loss. Something about the ending felt so rushed and odd.
Profile Image for Truc.
23 reviews
October 5, 2016
Haven't read such an epic ending in ages. Actually, this book was so epic that I stayed up until 4am to finish it off on the same day I started Hereditary. So much deaths that broke my heart and that betrayal that I totally did not see coming. (also love Nareon & Asher <3)

However, if I have to be honest the ending, although satisfactory, was quite rushed in my opinion. I wished we could have seen more regarding Bea's & Harbinger's confirmed relationship after his secret was revealed (their relationship was placed on the side and not further developed after that particular event), Bea's thoughts on Cale and Nareon towards the end and going into details about the reasons for which Lief committed a certain act.

With Nareon, he wasn't mentioned again after what had "happened" to him at the end by Bea. Which just seemed odd to me considering that he "loved" her and for her, he had made a sacrifice when afterward she didn't bother sparing him a thought. Something similar could be said for Cale who was Bea's very first friend when she came to the Academy. I could also mention the inconsistency of Hazen's sudden outward attraction and affection that was more than just friendly towards Bea. Cale and Rose getting together also seemed to come out of nowhere, when it seemed that he was into Bea instead. (Perhaps, it was just a way for him to distract himself from Bea who he knew didn't see him in that way but then again, we'll never know now) (Or perhaps, the author thought that through this way, Rose would become a more interesting character out of it)

All this though, I guess can be excused since the series is only planned out into two books which doesn't leave much space for explanation. In the Seraph Black series, where there is more than two books, the plot and character development was otherwise fleshed out and quite consistent. (also I've noticed that in both series, they had the same themes of teacher-student relationships & sexual assault interestingly enough)

Overall, a decent reverse harem read ;)
Profile Image for Heather Stout.
220 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2019
I have never ever felt so out of sorts in my life after reading a book.

One the one side I love Hazen. I almost, in some ways, wish the story or a side story was written from his perspective. But, Beatrice had me on the fence. Her character was okay and in some aspects I did like her. But her growth seemed superficial at best.

On a creative aspect, I found it refreshing that fantasy aspect of the story was basically it's own. The creation of a new race was nice. But, I found myself exceptionally confused because a lot of things were only mildly explained. I even say this in reference to the first book which I am not going to bother writing a review about but will end up having the same rating.

Now, let's discuss the grammar. There was one error that happened so repetitively that I know the author didn't realize it was an error at all. Any time the author wrote a sentence with a list of things or people the second to last item (or person) in said list did not ever have a comma afterward like they should have. I'm not even a stickler for grammar but when the same mistake happens over and over again it definitely needs to be addressed by somebody.

A big thing I want to point out was the repetition of chapters at the end of the book. Now, this may have only been the copy I read but it definitely needs fixed. (I thought at first I accidentally backtracked until I double checked it.) Chapter 23 From the Reign, Comes the Drought and what is initially listed as the epilogue in the list are identical. When you get past the pseudo epilogue you find the true epilogue hidden somewhat. What I mean to say is that it isn't separated like it should be you have to dig in the meat of the pseudo epilogue to find the word "epilogue" repeated.

The last thing I want to say is that the end of the book/series (can two books be called a series?) was exceptionally rushed. It kind of felt like the author was tired of the story and wanted to end it as fast as possible.
Profile Image for Dana.
55 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2016
"Hazen jumped back up and stalked toward me again, no longer looking so collected, with his shirt torn halfway down the middle and dirt coating his face. I grinned, and he smiled in response, flashing a row of white teeth to contrast against the dirt."

I normally don't read prequels, but I would highly consider it if Jane came out with Hazen's POV. His emotions and thoughts are so hidden behind his personality that you don't really know him, he's an essential part of Bea's story...even if he's hardly there.
My previous review mentioned that I hoped to better understand Bea's powers, I still feel that the concept could be improved and better explained, but for the most part I'm content with how it came together. Not happy, but it is what it is.

Content is definitely a good summary word for how I felt about this book. Everything came together in the end, wasn't mind blowing whatsoever. Bea's development was expected although I really wish she would have gotten some of Nareon's nitty&gritty. Then the ending, not going to say I didn't see that coming because I definitely did, just not with who and that betrayal, blah for some reason I was kind of rooting for Leif for awhile.
Profile Image for Mallory.
252 reviews12 followers
February 6, 2017
I'm really enjoying this series. Is it perfect? No. I feel like a lot of Bea's relationships with the other characters could have used more time and detail. There are major betrayals with no explanations or an inkling of a motive, which was major annoyance. When I think back now, I realize a lot of characters react or do something, and we're never given a reason. There was also a relationship kind of started then quickly ending, without adding spoilers, that seemed kind of forced to make sure she ended up with someone else. I had a feeling I knew where all the romance was heading, so I wasn't surprised. Just underwhelmed? I never felt the connection, the tension and attraction was never there for me. Which is ok, because I really didn't care who she ended up with, which is a testament to how much I loved the rest of the book. My favorite kind of books always have a romantic element to keep it interesting, but secondary to the story and to the main character's journey. I was so wrapped up in the synfee court, and figuring out who to trust, and how she would navigate being queen, that the underwhelming romance didn't deter me at all from devouring this book. I have read every book this author has on Amazon in the last couple weeks. I can't wait to see what she writes next. Her world building in this series is amazing.
Profile Image for Daph.
324 reviews9 followers
September 1, 2015
Oh my goodness!! I have waited for so long to read and I finally got my hands on it! It was marvelous, captivating and definitely worth the wait. I adored Beatrice as queen in this book. Even though she wasn't as confident, she was making a change. So sad, the characters we lost; I really didn't expect that. And I did so not see the twist coming. That was so sudden, I was like "huh? Did i read that right?" I think I went over those chapters about 3 times. I really loved how Ms Washington wrote the book and showed progress in the characters. I loved the plot and I adored the ending. I hope there's more to this series, 'cause I was so not satisfied with that. I still want MORE!!
Anyway, awesome read. Absolutely worth it and I would so recommend this to anyone who likes reading...or doesn't.
Awesome!! :D
Profile Image for Tiffany.
724 reviews49 followers
June 7, 2016


I loooooooved the first book of this series. One of my favorites for the year so far. This book was good in certain aspects. I definitely loved the character development that Bea went through. She grew so much in this series it was admirable. But there was almost NO Cale & NO Hazen. They were the best part of the first book.



I'm bummed there wasn't more of a love story throughout book two. It just simmered in the background and BAM came back at the end. I feel a little ripped off. I think their story could have been epic.

Profile Image for Kitlina.
2,003 reviews22 followers
May 6, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book very much but I have some slight objections. Of course it's the author's second book so I must say that it had more good than bad.
I loved Bea, I adored Hazen, and I mourned Cale. I am starting to forgive Harbringer because he broke my heart a little. I inclined towards him. Rose was in full bloom. And I felt personally betrayed by Leif, who I considered a friend.
I also loved all the battle scenes, Ms. Washington is very good at depicting those.
There were some plot devices that drove me nuts but I suppose if nothing better was found they could do.
When all is said and done I can attest that this was a good read that needed a little more tweaking but you should give it a go because it really grips you and doesn't let go until you finish.
Profile Image for Linda.
21 reviews21 followers
March 27, 2017
I love her characters and her stories. This series was great read that left me wanting more (as all her books do).

I love her characters and her stories. This series was great read that left me wanting more (as all her books do). She is a wonderful author with much talent. I will be reading anything she puts her name on.
Bea and those around her are fascinating. I wish there were more books at would have lent to drawing out even more details. This world is original and I reccommend getting lost in it!
Profile Image for Levie.
732 reviews10 followers
September 20, 2018
I loved it. There were a few plot issues, but other than that, i was a happy camper. I was happy that Neron was a good seed, and that Bea finally accepted that he was awesome. YAAAS BEA. YAAAAS HAZEN. BOOO HARBRINGER.
Profile Image for Gia.
338 reviews17 followers
March 15, 2015
A definite improvement on book number one and although it went in a different direction than anticipated I was really happy with were it ended!
Profile Image for Hala.
329 reviews
May 7, 2018
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

THAT WAS FREAKING FANTASTIC

I KNEW I WAS ON THE RIGHT SHIP
WOOHOOO
AND THEY MARRIED
AND SHES PREGNANT
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS
PLEWAASE
Profile Image for Katie.
783 reviews18 followers
February 6, 2019
This was a mood swing of a book. One chapter was slow, the next was fast, it went from one chapter covering a hour in time to summarising three months in a page, there were moments when I almost gave up & other moments where I questioned why I would even think of doing that.

I loved Bea, I liked how things worked out for her. It was surprising that one particular vein of the story wasn’t actually written but the ending of that just played out in the epilogue... but that epilogue was impressive.

Yea, this review is as jumbled as this book; I just don’t consistently know how I feel about this story... this kick ass quote from Bea is pretty cool though...

“I am a weapon. The end of everything as we know it is constantly burning inside me. Storms that will pull castles from the ground and toss them into the sea, lightning that will ignite fire enough to burn fields for days, and rain to weep away the bodies until nothing and nobody is left!”
Profile Image for Ms Eclectic.
371 reviews16 followers
September 5, 2025
I really enjoyed this duology from Jane Washington - it was one of those rare series that could have gone on for longer without annoying me.

The romance is not amazing (and I kept hoping it would be RH, which it’s not), but the characters, plot and world building were really engaging and compelled me to read on, keeping me guessing right until the end.

I don’t love everything by this author, but when she gets it right it’s a thing of beauty
Profile Image for M.
634 reviews12 followers
January 12, 2018
1.5 stars

Oh wow this story went downhill fast. I enjoyed the first book even though it had its faults. This on the other hand was a complete mess in terms of plot. Far too rushed and the plot was constantly jumping all over the place. The ending wasn’t very satisfying either.
18 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2023
Beatrice Harrow

Exciting book, exciting story line. Not a dull moment. The romance was on point, not overly complicated nor too sweet, keep you on your toes kinda story. Ms. Washington you have become one of my favorite author. Looking forward to the next series….
Profile Image for Taylor.
186 reviews20 followers
March 17, 2017
I had no idea when starting this series that it was only a two part series, so I was very interested to see how Jane was going to round out this story.

Once again I loved the setting, and I loved the main characters, even if most of them spent this book separated from each other.

Big things are happening for our MC's, and not all of them are good.
I loved how there was a little more adventureing in this book!

Unfortunately the romance was a background themes, and wasn't really touched on till the end.
Also some of the death in this series broke my heart!!!

The only reason I gave this a 4 star instead of 5 is because I really wish that there was another book! Or someway to find out what happens after that epilogue, it just kind of left me hanging a bit. Although, I loved where the MC's were in their personal life.

Apart from that, I loved the story, the characters, and the writing!
Profile Image for Michelle Fritz PA.
1,350 reviews98 followers
August 6, 2018
How does Bea work her way so seamlessly into your heart!? This is a nail biting, frown inducing, but totally lets you sigh in relief at it's conclusion book. I loved that Beatrice finally had one of the guys declare his unending devotion and love!! Seeing Bea embrace herself and everything that she was capable of was such an ah ha moment and I totally wanted to stand up and cheer. This was filled with betrayal and mistrust. We saw some deaths that absolutely tore apart my heart 💔 This is a series that you soon won't be forgetting! These characters quickly attach themselves to your mind and heart. There are plenty of bizarre things that just may make you cringe. I found this captivating, entertaining, intriguing and all of those other amazingly descriptive words that heap unending praise upon a work of literature. Jane Washington is brilliant!! To plot this world.... these characters.... what it must be like to have this in you....
Profile Image for Michelle Fritz PA.
1,350 reviews98 followers
October 1, 2018
How does Bea work her way so seamlessly into your heart!? This is a nail biting, frown inducing, but totally lets you sigh in relief at it's conclusion book. I loved that Beatrice finally had one of the guys declare his unending devotion and love!! Seeing Bea embrace herself and everything that she was capable of was such an ah ha moment and I totally wanted to stand up and cheer. This was filled with betrayal and mistrust. We saw some deaths that absolutely tore apart my heart 💔 This is a series that you soon won't be forgetting! These characters quickly attach themselves to your mind and heart. There are plenty of bizarre things that just may make you cringe. I found this captivating, entertaining, intriguing and all of those other amazingly descriptive words that heap unending praise upon a work of literature. Jane Washington is brilliant!! To plot this world.... these characters.... what it must be like to have this in you....
Profile Image for Riniya.
327 reviews19 followers
August 4, 2023
Tropes/ Key Points:
* Love Triangle
* Fish out of Water
* Siren Retelling
* High Fantasy World
* Royals
* Inherited Kingdom
* Coming of Age
* Young Adult Romance

Spice: Not really-- just kissing

Trigger Warnings: Cannibalisim, Attempted Murder, Death, Manipulation, Death of an Infant (mentioned)

Review:

I really enjoyed finishing up Beatrice’s story in this action-packed sequel.

I think that this sequel did a few things right and a few things wrong. It was good, but not good enough for me to give it five stars. The series as a whole gets 4 stars and this book does as well.

Pros:

1) Character Growth
I really loved being able to watch as Bea grew into herself and her powers. She makes mistakes along the way but having her struggle to control it and accept them was well done. It wasn’t an instantaneous “I got powers now watch me use them” plotline like a lot of books seem to do. Jane is always very good at having things grow and develop naturally and realistically. Or well, as realistic as a girl with siren powers can be.
2) Plot Twists
There were three major plot twists, and they were freaking amazing. I do have to admit that I did have an inkling about who the Big bad was the moment the name got mentioned in such an offhand way, and finding out I was right was validating. However, the way that the big bad was in the world, I was not expecting, and it was just such an amazing reveal. The other plot twist of the romantic persuasion I wasn’t expecting at all, and it left me a little disappointed. Not in the way that it was a bad twist, just that I liked the character that it involved and hated the way he handled the situation.
3) Romance

The romance in this book is a bit better than it was in the first one. The first book had very little romance but there were romantic interactions, and they were just a bit all over the place. This sequel narrows it down between two of the 4 love interests presented in book one and it’s nice to have it a bit more streamlined. It shifted into a love triangle that felt more manageable and it was nice being able to watch it develop.

4) Supporting Cast

The supporting cast of characters in this book were amazing. Quick, Sweet and Teddy were such a great addition. They were Beatrice’s personal guards and they treated her like one of their own, accepting her into their fold. They brought in a lot of banter and laughter and I loved the dynamic they created.

5) Consequences

I know that we joke with authors always out here killing off characters that you end up liking, but lately it feels like the opposite. I feel like I have read way too many books where there are no real consequences for war. (Cough – SJM – Cough cough). They always kill off the side characters and leave the main group intact. Jane didn’t do this here and while it does suck that we lost someone, it feels right and I am glad that it wasn’t a nameless side character who we only interacted with once or twice.


Cons:

1) Romance

Yea I know it’s a bit weird to count this as a pro and as a con, but what are you going to do? While this book does do the romance better than its predecessor, it still gets it wrong. We are narrowed down to a love triangle from the 4 of the first book but Beatrice is still all over the place. We get very little interaction with Hazen, as her banishment results in her being around Harbinger more than Hazen. But even the moments with Harbinger feel a bit off. Her reasoning for wanting to be with him felt weird for the growth that she had already been portraying. She wanted to be with him because she felt like she was forging her own path by wanting him, but that doesn’t make sense in the long run of the story. It just felt like the romance portion of this book was lacking planning.

2) Betrayals

I am not going to spoiler who betrayed Beatrice in this book, but just know that it doesn’t make sense. Throughout the entire book we are told that this specific character is on Bea’s side. He helps her numerous times and supports her in ways that others didn’t. He isn’t the only one who betrays Bea, but he is the only one who’s motivations aren’t explained. He is the only wild card in the bunch and felt more like a “shock” factor than any real bad guy. There were no hints, nothing that could have given even an inkling of, “this makes sense”.

3) The Ending
The ending felt rushed. We are introduced to this group who are presenting a problem for the two kingdoms and then we never get to encounter them. The story focuses on the issues within Bea’s Kingdom and Hazen’s Kingdom, while still talking about this looming force. There are two chapters that basically center around this potential enemy, and it ends up going nowhere. The epilogue skips forward a bit and we are told that they had been facing this enemy and were about to go war, but we don’t see any of it. The ending is ambiguous, and I really wish that Jane had tied it up properly. This story doesn’t feel like one that should have been left open ended. It felt like we were robbed of a great storyline, and I wish that this would have been a trilogy instead of the duology that it was.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. Is it my favorite? No. Not Really. I feel like the issue is that this book is one of Jane’s first forays into writing if not her actual first, and I have already seen her at her best. It left me wanting. If I had read this one first and then grew with Jane throughout her other works, I would be telling an entirely different story right now. If I had read this when I was younger, I would be telling a different story.

I recommend people start with this book series if you are going to dive into the Jane Washington Rabbit hole. You will come away most likely enjoying it and then you get to watch as the author grows and develops through the rest of her works and will end up as big of a fan as I am today!
Profile Image for Autumn Miller ~ autumnbookreads.
1,255 reviews585 followers
April 3, 2018
I liked this book. While I didn't like it as much as the first book, I still had a fun time while reading it. Let me start off by saying that there was nothing wrong with this book, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. I think the main problem I had was that the first book Hereditary was labeled as a reverse harem on Listopia when this series is not. Because I have read the Seraph Black series, I saw how the first book was labeled, added in the fact that Jane Washington has written reverse harem before, and I assumed that this series was the same. While I liked who Beatrice ended up with, I didn't like it as much as I would have liked her to end up with all of them. Besides this, I didn't have any other problems with the book and I enjoyed it.
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