Exiled by Iron

The Tainted Blood Duology #2

by Ehigbor Okosun

The spellbinding conclusion to the international bestseller Forged by Blood delves deeper into Nigerian mythology as the Oluso uprising comes to a head…and the young woman caught in between comes to her breaking point. Return to this highly atmospheric, complex world full of magic and romance and war, in which unity is the goal, blood is the sacrifice, and love is at stake.

The King is dead. The Oluso rebel. War is here.

With the end of Alistair Sorenson’s tyrannical reign, Dèmi has accepted Jonas’s proposal to rule as his Queen with hopes to finally free her people, the magical Oluso. Yet social prejudice, corrupt council members, and the continued distrust of the nonmagical Ajès throughout the kingdom prove seemingly implacable obstacles. To make matters worse, Dèmi struggles to control her newly awakened iron blood magic. As Ekwensi’s rebel army—led in part by Colin, her best friend and one-time lover—become more triumphant in their mission, war seems inevitable.

Before long, a new evil appears that hunts Oluso and Ajè alike, promising desolation on a larger level than ever before. When the failed assassination puts the life of Dèmi’s loved one in danger as well as the future of the Oluso into question, Dèmi embarks on a treacherous journey to find an ancestral spirit whose aid could tip the scales in her favor. Whether her new powers will destroy the kingdom or heal the blood-soaked rifts that have pulled it apart, she does not know.

Beyond the battles of swords and magic, there is the battle for Dèmi’s heart. Jonas—the former enemy prince—has divided loyalties despite his love for Dèmi. And Ekwensi and Colin have every intention of winning her to their side, while a past pledge hangs over Dèmi’s head. Dèmi is caught between the kingdom, her people, and the spirits, and must decide what sacrifices she is willing to make for peace, and whether she can outrun the greatest danger that constantly puts her in peril—her own heart. Only one thing is for certain…

There will be blood.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Mythology, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Nina Moskowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

What pisses me off the most is that I could copy and paste the review I just wrote for “To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods” for this book, and they’d have 95% overlap. Either way, here goes nothing. In case my last review did not make it abundantly clear: HOW ARE WE STILL WRITING COLONIZER X COLONIZED ROMANCES!!!!

If I read one more book with a fully fleshed out, beautifully diverse fantasy world, with characters who are written to purposefully represent an oppressed world fighting for freedom… and then they fall in love with the white man oppressing them?!!?!?!? FOR WHAT.

Okay look, I get it, Jonas is *dIfFeReNt*, and special, and wants to bring it all down. But I just think that, regardless of how cinnamon roll you try to make this man, the point stands that the entire backbone of this duology is usurping colonizers and taking back power for the people who suffered, and Démi did that on the arm of the guy whose father created every problem to begin with. Add on to that what they did to Colin, who I didn’t even like but felt like the outcome of his life was… problematic, to say the least, and not nearly the emotional thing it was supposed to be.

The reality is, the book is beautiful in a lot of ways, and has some very tender moments. But the near-constant fixation on everyone trying to die for others got a bit repetitive, and it really felt like I didn’t even need to read much of the first half to take in the second half, they felt that separate. Ultimately, this was a huge letdown, and I can’t bring myself to give it over 2⭐️

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

Love that the book starts with a plot summary of what happened in book one! Icon. Legend. She is the moment.
-----------------------
DNF @ 23%

I think I have to admit that I'm just not invested in this and everything I read is passing through me like water.

Maybe I'm a different reader than I was when I picked up the original, maybe I'm just not in the mood for this sort of story, I can't really say. But the type of YA this feels like is really grating on me. (I know, I know-- it's published as Adult. But I kinda get the feeling they just did that for the spice? Or the publisher who picked it up? The writing and the themes and the complexity is not coming across as Adult at all. Which is a really, really common complaint for the first book as well.)

And good god why did this audiobook need to be 21 hrs long? This is a tome. And for what?! If this were a 12 hr audiobook I'd be much more understanding, but I just can't do such a solid chunk of this style of writing. I'm feeling the fatigue after 5 hrs.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come! ⚔️

(FINAL REVIEW:)

This was an action packed sequel to the first book that was also a roller coaster of events. While the nonstop action isn’t usually a problem for me, in this case, I felt like I had to take breaks here and there because I felt like I was just getting pelted (just like the characters) with things while having no room to take a breather. 😮‍💨

The events take place about a year after the first book. I don’t want to spoil too much of the first book here, so I won’t talk about the events so much as I will about the characters. Dèmi has been through so much in these last two books, and while I understand her plight and desire to help her people, her reckless and not well thought out plans and actions was almost exhausting to read about. At times, I found myself rolling my eyes at her and that’s not something I wanted to do, but had to simply because of her thought process. 🙄

Colin is kind of infuriating in this book simply because he’s so quick to defend someone who he really shouldn’t, but at the same time is quick to attack people for having similar thoughts as the person he’s defending. Jonas, while very sweetly trying to help Dèmi, kind of just sits back half the time and lets events fly by him. His character arc towards the middle was a good development, for him, and I ended up feeling bad for him because he somehow ends up being the voice of reason between Colin and Dèmi. 🫨

The last two acts of the book are wild with the reader just getting pelted with nonstop action. I had to take multiple breaks just to stop myself from feeling overwhelmed because man . . . Even I needed a breather, and I’m not even experiencing what the characters are. 😬

All in all, while a wild (and at times) annoying ride, I still enjoyed the development of the story and world. I would recommend this to people who like action right out of the gate and love triangles that leave the reader wondering till the end whether or not she’ll choose one guy or the other. 🫢

Thank you goes out to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review (and for being patient with me getting this review out late . . . again), and to the author for taking me on probably one of the wildest rides I’ve been on reading wise. 🤯

Publication date: October 22! So go take a look at it!

Overall: 3.75/5 ⭐️

[Akemichan · Rating 1 out of 5]

E' ancora più sconclusionato del primo.

[Alacyia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 11%.

I already wasn't really feeling the first book in the series and I just couldn't do another 500+ pages of more of the same.

Dèmi is still impulsive and lacks what's needed to free her people and in this book she's dumb for going along with Jonas's plan to influence the council.

First thing I don't like about this book, and the series as a whole, the colonized falls for the colonizer in the midst of the subjugation and oppress. In 2025, why are we still pushing this trope? It's giving white savior complex.

Second thing, Jonas is allowing WAY too much disrespect to be thrown at Dèmi. He keep making these idol threats and telling her not to lose her cool. Bro, what?! Then, he also won't tell the council or his father, who took over leading the kingdom from Jonas, that he's also Oluso. He letting her take all the daggers by herself! She already had a handful of assassination attempts made towards her.

Third, this book is said to be adult fantasy/romance but it still reads like YA. From the characters to the plot. It all reads YA. The first spicy scene, they get caught by Nana and then act like teens who got caught! Nana didn't even knock when she came in and then they were the one's embarrassed. And the spice reads like teenagers. Then the way King-regent aka Jonas's father, and the council just took the reigns from them. At best they just ignore all of their suggestion and at worst they demean Dèmi and question Jonas's mental capacity for leadership. For anyone who reads true adult romantasy, you know this wouldn't fly, along with the disrespect of his "mate". Every MMC in romantasies that I've read would rip the heart out of anyone who even looked at their mate wrong. Again, Dèmi taking daggers all by herself.

Fourth, Dèmi and Jonas are both way too naive and optimistic in the face of oppression, outright hatred of the Oluso, and impending war. They're heads are truly in the clouds and they are playing with people's lives, particularly Oluso lives. And Dèmi just sitting their letting Jonas do it while her people suffer. Jonas says he's Oluso but he doesn't and has never truly had their struggle. And for him to co-opt it, even in a fictional book, is egregiously disrespectful and tone deaf of the history of black people everywhere.

It got 2 stars because the premise is actually good and they had a first book recap in the front. But I can't finish this book. Too much stuff has already pissed me off, and I only got 11% in.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

EXILED BY IRON by Ehigbor Okosun is a great example of a series, in this case, The Tainted Blood Duology, that starts strong and ends with a whimper. I adored the first book. Everything about it kept me on the edge of my seat, from the new-to-me mythology to the setting to the characters. I thought the world-building was solid, and the characters grew into the roles as they discovered more about their world.

EXILED BY IRON did not have that. For one thing, there is way too much happening for a satisfactory conclusion. At one point in time, Dèmi laments how many issues she has to deal with, and I feel the same way. For a series ender, there were too many new problems introduced for any of them to obtain a satisfactory ending. Not only did these new problems crowd an already complex story, but this meant that the action was nonstop. Seriously, no one can jump from fire to frying pan to open flame grill to pizza oven and back to the fire again without a break, but that is exactly what Ms. Okosun forces the reader to experience. It is overwhelming.

To make matters worse, in EXILED BY IRON, Dèmi never learns. She repeats her mistakes over and over and over again. Everyone who loves her tells her the same damn thing, and she ignores every single person. In one scene, a goddess tells her to stop rushing into situations, to which she agrees. Not one page later, she rushes into a situation without stopping to think through the consequences or formulate a plan. All this rushing only compounds her issues. It is frustrating, and it makes you question a) her intelligence and b) why so many people are willing to sacrifice their lives for her. In my opinion, based solely on her behavior and actions in this book, she isn't worth it.

EXILED BY IRON is a bloated, slow-moving conclusion to what was an exciting story. Dèmi is so aggravating that I spent a large amount of time controlling my temper and trying not to throw my Kindle across the room. It is way too long with all the additional problems she faces. In the end, the conclusion is not satisfying enough to be a reward for the slog through the story. Because the series started so well, I know that Ms. Okosun can write well and produce epic stories. Unfortunately, EXILED BY IRON is not an example of that writing skill.

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great follow up to book 1, I love books with diverse characters that incorporate multitudes of culture, religion and language.

This book did hurt my heart though, I feel like the persecution of specific minorities is very close to reality and sometimes that will keep me away from a fantasy story, but I think it was very well done in this book. Dèmi is an absolute saint for remaining so strong while her oppressors still spoke to her as though she was less than them even when she became their leader. She stayed faithful to her cause and her intention not to harm anyone even though they wished her harm.

The romance between her and Jonas was so special, it warmed my heart. I would’ve loved a 5 years later epilogue or something to see what would come next for them and their kingdom. Also, can we talk about Colin 🥺 like wow you just wanted to hurt my heart with that one. That character is so special, I’d absolutely love a novella following him on to his next adventure.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 🌟

A great conclusion to the duology. My rating is a bit lower than what I gave book one, just because I did not remember a lot of important scenes and characters so that it took some time to get into the story again. I loved parts 1,2 and 4, especially the last one where everything came together and where it got emotional. Part 3... well, that's a whole different story. It is also the longest part in the book which did not help. In short, it was very overwhelming and exhausting to read, because every 5 pages, I kid you not, something new was happening, be it a new character that we are introduced to, a new setting, a new action scene, a new plot/character reveal, a new mood/atmosphere, etc. I could not keep up with that and did not care anymore what was going to happen next for a while. But in the end, it was worth it reading through these excessively fast-paced bits.

[LittleBookLoves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! That was a lot of something... This is a colonized person falling in love with the heir of the colonizer. This is an unnecessary trope in 2025. The oppressed are viewed as dangerous, and even more so are those rebelling and liberating others. This is the premise of the entire story. A recap is offered at the beginning of the book for anyone who needs it.

Jonas (100% white savior complex) is allegedly different but was also raised and conditioned with the ideologies of his people. While he doesn't ascribe to everything they believe, he strongly believes in using their system (yep, the same system used to oppress) to effect change for the oppressed and enslaved. Dèmi wants to believe in the potential for change while seeing very little changing. That accounts for a majority of the book. 😐😮‍💨 We already know the "Master's tools will never dismantle the Master's house," so reading this was an eye roll. Of course, Dèmi wouldn't be recognized as a real "queen," and there were so many times when Jonas didn't stand up for her. We never get to see Jonas truly trying to understand from Dèmi's perspective either, and he spends so much time hiding the fact that he's also Iron blood so Dèmi weathers that storm alone.

Unfortunately, Jonas is written as more of a background character despite being one of the MMCs and takes on a position of watching things happening while not doing much to prevent or change them--yes, change takes time but he lacks urgency. There are numerous assassination attempts against Dèmi, but Jonas constantly tells her to stay calm because the Council and the king-regent (Jonas's father) are trying elicit a reaction from her. Is it a surprise when a rebellion happens and the first thing they want to do is enslave the oppressed again (not that they ever really stopped)? No, it isn't. At the same time, Dèmi does the same thing in this book (throughout the entire book) that she did in the previous book, which is to rush into action without thinking first. She does this constantly to the extent that it is annoying and is a character flaw that never sees any growth. Numerous people, gods, goddesses, etc., constantly tell her to slow down, think, and not leap into action, yet she does that repeatedly. Much like book one, she doesn't listen or follow instructions well ever, and is repeatedly in situations where others have to rescue her. So many characters are willing to risk their lives or sacrifice themselves for Dèmi or for some other character. Dèmi risks herself in really dumb ways that actually wouldn't help anyone in the moment, so I was never sure what to think about her character. Jonas rescues her quite often and she continuously questions her ability to trust him. She often doesn't communicate things to him, but thinks deeply about her inability to rely on him. These are more areas where character development was lacking. 

60% into the book - Dèmi: "I don't want to rule. I just want the people I love to be safe. Why can't that be enough?" ...😐🙄  Yep, 60% in and Dèmi still has a selfish, immature perspective. She spends so much time complaining about how things are for the Oluso, but doesn't really do anything to change their circumstances. The majority of this book is about her wanting to save Nana, get revenge against Mari, and internally debating how much she can trust Jonas while caring for Colin who is familiar. When she's not doing those things, she's doing impulsive things to cause others to have to rescue her or snapping angrily at others without hearing them out first. More missed opportunities for character development, because she did the same things in the first book.

This book is marketed as Adult fantasy, but it reads more like YA fantasy. The verbiage and actions of Dèmi, Jonas, Colin, and so many others is written as if they're young teenagers. Honestly, it was no wonder the king-regent and the council disregarded them. Plus, Jonas and Dèmi are making out while engaged the day before their wedding/binding ceremony, and when Nana walks in without knocking they break apart like two teens caught doing something inappropriate. I don't think I've ever read an actual Adult fantasy (or romantasy) where a MMC allowed others to disrespect his "mate"...not even in rejected mate books where the MMC is mad at his mate. In those he may be rude to his mate, but he never tolerates others doing it.

Overall, this was an unnecessarily long book where a lot happened and nothing happened at the same time. I switched from reading a physical copy (Fairyloot edition) to an audiobook version set at a fast speed. When I reached 65% and realized I just couldn't stay interested anymore, I just skipped to 96%. ...😒Colin sacrifices himself to save Jonas--of course, he does because it's yet another trope under the umbrella of the colonizer-colonized romance trope. 🙄

[KMart Vet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intense, layered conclusion to the Tainted Blood duology. This delivers an intricate blend of Nigerian mythology and rebellion. Dèmi faces new challenges as queen alongside Jonas, navigating politics, social prejudice, and the threat of war. The Oluso struggle for freedom from their oppressors takes center stage and Dèmi is forced to make difficult choices to protect her people.

This installment doesn’t hold back—it’s action-packed, and the pace is relentless, demanding readers stay alert as complex themes of oppression and rebellion unfold. Dèmi’s journey goes beyond personal survival as she takes on the weighty responsibility of creating a better future for her fellow Oluso, making her a strong protagonist who struggles against a complex web of loyalties.

One of the standout aspects here is the depth of the characters and their relationships. The tension between Dèmi and Jonas and the other characters adds layers of emotional conflict that Okosun skillfully resolves through honest, heartfelt dialogue, making their development feel authentic and impactful. The author deftly captures Dèmi’s internal struggles, evoking genuine emotions as her misconceptions unravel, and her character arc feels satisfying and grounded.

While the duology format keeps the storyline tightly wound, it also makes the story feel rushed in places. Given the vastness of the plot and themes, an additional book could have allowed for a more balanced, less hurried journey, especially as Dèmi’s internal and external conflicts crescendo toward a high-stakes conclusion.

Thank you SO much to Storygram tours Harper Voyager for the complimentary and beautiful copy for my shelves. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

[Marya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great follow-up to 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

And So. Much. Happens.

I enjoyed the world building and magic system, and the use of Nigerian mythology (of which I am admittedly not super knowledgeable about) made this story feel *fresher* to me, even while still using many of those familiar tropes I’m used to seeing in these sorts of stories.

I really felt like I got to know these characters. (Although, overall, there may have been a few too many characters to keep them all straight…I did discover there’s a Dramatis Personae at the end, but it did appear to have spoilers, so do proceed with caution. ALSO! There’s a summary of the events of Book 1 at the start, which I found ever so helpful in remembering all the details. I wish all books had that!)

The overall pacing of this story was quite fast, and at times, we may have moved on a little too quickly after some important events, but I definitely never felt bored!

There were so many moments with our three core characters that really had me tearing up. It’s definitely not an easy journey for them, but I thought where they ended up in the end made for a perfect conclusion to this story.

(Now, I think this is marketed as “Adult”, and although there is one spicy scene, I would still classify this as a (upper) YA Fantasy novel, due to the tone, the story, and the age and actions of the characters. But what do I know? 🤷‍♀️)

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and @netgalley for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Fantasy
✅ Inspired by Nigerian mythology
✅ Magic
✅ Mates
✅ (Bit of a lingering) Love Triangle
✅ Themes of colonization, racism, and slavery

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5

[Vex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I am going to start this review with an opinion... this duology may have done better as a trilogy. There was a lot done in this book, and sometimes because of everything that Demi went through these tasks and challenges felt flat, because I knew that this book was the last. I knew there was to be a war, but when Demi was sent on task after task I was wondering when we would actually get to the BIG plot point and have it resolve. And it does resolve, but that starts mainly in the last 90% of the book and it felt a little anti-climatic.
Once again, I have to say this world is insanely rich, everything is thought out about the cultures and people of the continent that they're on. And in this book, we travel to other cities and explore more about this. The only problem I had was how many terms (and different terms for the same thing) there seemed to be. There is an extensive glossary that accompanies the book, but I felt that most of the terms or people I did try to look up when lost wasn't there. I also feel that a family tree would have helped me understand the relationships with all the characters.
The magic in the book is so cool to read about! The different kinds of magic, and magic outside of the humans.
Another thing I did like that I think more books should do, is that it had a recap of the previous book at the beginning, which is amazing for those who may not reread a book before the next one.

[Daniel Charlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tainted Blood duology concludes with ‘Exiled By Iron’, a substantially longer book than its predecessor that has much to do to close out Dèmi’s story. Part of me thinks that this could/should/would have been a trilogy but was forced into two books? Nevertheless I enjoyed it, and Okosun is undoubtedly a very talented writer with an evocative pen. It was a pleasure to return to a fantasy world inspired by Nigerian mythology which is just so much different to the European and Asian mythology that tends to dominate the fantasy space. The Kingdom of Ifé is a pleasure to visit and I hope we return to it through other books and protagonists. Part of me did feel that Dèmi’s character lost her bite a bite in this second book since the first one, and I don’t know if this was just done for plot reasons rather than for the actual essence of herself. I was a bit unsure of just how all-in we went on the colonised x coloniser “Pocahontas” romance but I’m not sure it’s my place to pick that one apart in great detail. That being said it’s not like I was a fan of Colin as an alternative. Ekwensi is a stellar villain and Elodie is my girl!

Okosun’s author profile states she’s a fellow bullet journal girlie like me - and boy can I tell. And oh, how grateful am I. The supplemental material to help you understand the world building is some of the most helpful and thorough I’ve ever seen. There’s the map. The full table of contents. A complete multi-page recap of the first book if you don’t have time for a re-read (publishers, I am begging you - keep doing this. Mandate it). Two character indexes for the people and the spirits/creatures. And then a general appendix to explain how the days and the time work and stuff. This 👏🏻 is what 👏🏻 we want 👏🏻. Thank-you Ehigbor Okosun, I thought I would be the one to say it if nobody else has.

[Day Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to start by saying thank you to Ehigbor Okosun and NetGalley for this ARC.

Fast-paced and engaging from start to finish. This book had me flipping through pages like it was nobody's business. I was so engrossed in the story I could not put my Kindle down. I will warn you that the character pool is quite large so it is a little hard to keep them all straight in your head but it is very diverse which is always nice. If you want a magical book to lose yourself in, this is the one for you. The world-building part of fantasy normally is not my cup of tea but this author sort of ingrained it into the fabric of the characters and makes you care for not only the characters but every aspect of this book.

I wish all books had a summary of the previous book at the beginning of the next book. It was so helpful to have a “Here’s what you missed on Glee” moment before getting back into this series.

What originally pulled me into this series was the gorgeous covers but the story was so mind-blowing that I am truly grateful I got to read such amazing works of art.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exiled by Iron had moments that drew me in, but overall, it was a frustrating read. I genuinely hated the first half of the book — mostly because of Demi’s choices, which felt inconsistent and sometimes baffling. I struggled to understand why she turned her back on the man she chose in the first book, only to place her trust in someone she had explicitly not trusted before. That shift didn’t feel earned, and it made her motivations hard to connect with.

The only parts I truly enjoyed were the journey into the spirit world — rich, imaginative, and well-paced — and the ending, which at least wrapped up the story in a way that felt emotionally satisfying. Still, across the whole duology, I feel like Demi had very little character growth. She felt largely the same from beginning to end, which was disappointing for a protagonist with so much potential.

There’s strong world-building here, and flashes of compelling storytelling, but the character arcs (especially Demi’s) left me feeling underwhelmed. A solid middle-of-the-road read — not bad, but far from great.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story, but I also have mixed feelings about it. The story has a lot of great elements to it: love, sacrifice, found family, defying destiny and paving your own path, class struggle. Beautiful world-building, with interesting magic; elemnts woven around Nigerian mythology. Dialogue that moves the plot along is well-done, rather than just a filler.

The love-triangle part was a little hard to buy, though. I loved both Jonas and Colin, but on a personal level, I really don't like the concept of bonded mates. idk why; it's a personal preference, I guess. Most of the time, the main love interest was decent, but there were times that I felt he was a bit too much alpha male for me.

I don't know anything about Nigerian mythology, so I was really invested in that part, too.

At the end of the book, there was a small pronounciation guide that I could've used at the beginning of the book. I'm glad it was included; you might need it.

[Norell Alesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book three stars mainly because the audiobook narrator Nneka Okoye was so good. Otherwise I probably would’ve given it two stars. I’m just tired of so many fantasy books featuring Black characters not only featuring white characters too, but also centering them. I’m tired of Black fantasy featuring white characters who out of nowhere have the magic of Our ancestors. In 2025 I’m tired of colonizer romances where the member of the oppressed group falls in love with someone from the group oppressing them. I’m just tired.

As for the plot of the book, the resolution to get the Olosu and the Aje to find peace made sense. I just hated that Demi had to lose literally everyone close to her except for Jonas, and that Colin died to save Jonas’ life. The writing was technically fine, but I doubt I’d read anything else from this author.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I have to applaud Okosun for including an amazing recap of book one at the beginning of this book! The recap was amazing and put me right back into this world, this needs to become the norm in fantasy series because it is so helpful to readers. I really enjoyed this book and how there was so much action and so much magic. The lore and mythology that is included was just amazing and added so much to the story. There was so much emotion in this book and it was so moving. These characters are wonderful and this was an epic and wonderful conclusion. I think this duology was so great and highly recommended.

[Ukeme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me feel many emotions; joy, laughter, anger and betrayal. I like how the concept of the Olusos and Ajes always being at war is like how this world is, someone is always going to need a villain to blame. Anyways, I’m giving this 4 stars because even though it is good storytelling, I hate that Colin paid the price. I feel it was only fitting that Jonas paid the price since he started the drama in this whole series anyways. His healing and then abduction, started Demi’s misery and it’s only fitting that his end free her people. I hate that happy go lucky Colin who wanted to fight for his people and Demi, was the one who lost everything and eventually, his life.
I need to grieve my dear Colin after this. Damn

[Kien Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent sequel to the first.
The plot were a little problematic with the large number of characters being introduced and reintroduced which made the storyline harder to follow. Took quite a while to finish the 2nd in comparison to the 1st but that might be just busy me :)
Dèmi in this sequel was moulded as more of an arrogant and impulsive/hasty person which at times had me a little frustrated.
I reckon an extra book would've helped Ms. Okosun stretch out the numerous events that occurred in the story and thicken the setting descriptions.
On the contrary, applaud Ms Okosun in her works with this series.

[Brea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pain to get thru… as much as I wanted to like this book. It was hard. Demi gets on my nerves sooo sooo much - she was way more stubborn than she needed to be. And the plot was all over the place and new characters being introduced on every page. It was doing the absolute most… and everyone wanting to die for each other got kinda old. If everyone’s dying then who will live. The resolution to the conflict didn’t really make sense for me especially from the first book to this one. Duologys are hard… and I tried to give this one much grace. Overall, the book was well written and could’ve been edited down some but other than that.. it was just okay.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The FMC is continuing to face difficult decisions now that she's within the royal castle trying to fight for her people's freedom through politics. When she finally decides that the route she's doing isn't working she leaves looking for other ways to dismantle the Council.

I loved the continuation of The Spirit Realm through Exiled by Iron as it offered more creativity and was clearly shown through the descriptions of the characters Demi comes across.

I didn't find this book as much of 'page turner' for me, but the further you get into the story the better it gets!

[BookBoundKay · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars
I wanted to love this but I didn't enjoy this anywhere near as much as book 1. A lot of new conflicts and characters were introduced and we didn't spend a lot of time with any of them so I felt like I didn't connect with them. I wanted so much more of the magic system but I feel like there was less of it in this (for a specific reason) but I missed it and wanted more. I struggled with the almost love triangle and didn't buy into it at all. I liked the writing. The ending was anticlimactic too which didn't help.
Character rating - 3.
Plot rating - 2.
Setting rating - 3.

[Galina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars - this book was a ride. Where the first book was a slow build, this one seemed to go careening through the rest of the story. The amount of twists and turns, double and triple and quadruple crosses, I felt like I had whiplash. I have to say there are too many love triangles in todays fantasy novels and this one just had me going WTF. Overall though, solid ending to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyage for the ARC!

[Irina Touw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik weet niet zo goed wat ik had gehoopt van dit tweede en laatste deel in de duologie, maar dit was het niet.

Er waren zo ontzettend veel side quests in dit boek, dat ik het lastig vond om geboeid te blijven en een hoofd plot me een beetje ontging. Jammer, want het eerste boek was veelbelovend.

Alsnog blij dit boek, en daarmee de serie, te hebben gelezen. Maar helaas was het niet helemaal wat ik had gehoopt.

Leesvlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqF5r...

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot/world building: 3.5 stars (0.5 points off for love triangle; points off for plot twists/actions/scenes that didn't feel well explained)
Characters: 3 stars (didn't like the main character and important secondary characters didn't get enough development)
Prose: 4 stars (some good quotable/descriptive prose)
Style: 3 (1st person, single pov; main character's inner voice/narration did not improve enough for me in the second book)
Average: 3.38

[Lumie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot 4/5
Characters 4/5
Ending 3.75/5
Interest 3.75/5

Overall 3.75/5

-This book didn’t as the first one did. It was still good but there just some elements that didn’t grip me all that much. The war was interesting, and to see everyone trying to work their way through it was great, but I guess the story just wasn’t as intriguing to me in the end.

-I didn’t like the fact that it was kind of on and off between Dèmi and Jonas. It felt like it was just to add some tension in the book but overall it was unnecessary. I would have been fine with the book being shorter but being more focused on the war.

-The ending was what I often say is an expected ending because most books finish off being fully resolved and that great. But discretely I wanted a more tragic ending, which almost happened and kinda happened in a way although everyone was happy in the end.

[Justina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

While I enjoyed the mythology and the political plotline, overall the book was too long for me. I would have prefered to cut some of the scenes, since they repeated the elements of the first book: Dèmi acts before thinking and/or Dèmi doesn't know who to choose as her love interest

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I did enjoy this conclusion to the duology, though it felt very formulaic at times - there was a lot of travelling around only to end up returning to where the characters came from. The love triangle element was fairly well-done, and I did like that the character of Ekwensi was very morally grey. However, not a duology I'll go back to.

[Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5
I loved the first one but this is just not it. Too many events and revelations so crammed up you never have the time to digest them, loose magic laws (I still don’t understand chaining) and so many useless steps that cause the story to not move forward at all until the very end. The characters are supposed to be morally grey but it just doesn’t work. I liked the resolution tho