After forcibly being taken away from her home, her family, and everything she’s ever known, Princess Irene has no choice but to live alongside her captors. But when a potential bloodbath encourages the rebels to act, Irene is forced to go down a dangerous path. She will have to accompany the rebels she so deeply despises including Asher, the sardonic squad leader with a haunting past and Ebony, the person responsible for her kidnapping. As worlds collide, so do beliefs and neither side will be left unscathed. Irene will have to acknowledge the consequences of her glamorous lifestyle while Ebony realizes the promises she’s made will not always be kept. Meanwhile, things aren’t as they seem at the castle. Danger is lurking in every corner and it is up to Gavin and Aurora to find out what the king and queen are so diligently trying to hide… With so many secrets arising and complications unfolding, the line between ally and foe isn’t as clear as it should be. The king and queen’s tyranny is gathering momentum and Irene and Ebony will have to make a kill each other or work together.
L.C. Perry is a young Black bi aromantic/grey-ace author who’s both socially awkward and distractingly imaginative. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Emory University and is a proud binge-watcher of anime and horror movies. She also knows too many Spongebob quotes, can’t dance to save her life, and has an unhealthy obsession when it comes to vanilla almond milk and caramel cake. Her goal as a writer is to continue writing YA while elevating underrepresented voices. Her areas of expertise are the Fantasy, Dystopian and Contemporary genres for the YA audience. When she isn’t writing, reading, or binge-watching, she’s visualizing original stories inside her head—with the help of music, of course.
The Bronze Rebellion is gaining momentum! Here in book 2 we follow characters from the first book (primarily slave-turned-rebel Ebony and captive-turned-reluctant-rebel Princess Irene) as well as a few new POV characters. The inclusion of new characters added to the numerous characters readers must track however it was 1) necessary so we could keep tabs on events back in the palace and 2) well managed by the author. As in the first book, despite the plethora of characters to keep track of, they’re all distinct and easy to keep straight.
The stakes are getting higher as our rebels must do all in their power to prevent the annihilation of a root city. This will be Irene’s first exposure to the horrors of slavery beneath her feet and her reactions, mistakes, and perseverance really resonates. Amidst all the turmoil romance blooms for a few of our characters. Initially I wondered if this would be cliche or distracting, but all in all I think it added to the character dynamics nicely. Really looking forward to the next installment.
**I received an advance electronic copy of this book from the author which I then chose to voluntarily review**
More about the book: Includes romance, racial rep, LGBT themes, dark themes, and the same trigger warnings as the first book – violence, profanity, and sensitive issues. Feel free to ask me any questions for more information :)
*I would like to thank the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review* *May contain spoilers for Gold Shadow you can read my review for that here*
This book was even better than the first one and I loved seeing the character development throughout it. This book picks up exactly where the last one ended and focuses more on Princess Irene as she struggles to come to terms with the real state of her kingdom and the atrocities that her parents have been hiding from her. I wasn't the biggest fan of Irene in the previous book as she was extremely selfish and irritating but I was also looking forward to seeing how her character developed throughout the rest of the series and I was not disappointed. She became my favourite character and I loved watching her come to terms with what was really happening around her and find the strength within her to fight back. Ebony is the other main character and she also goes through a lot of character development throughout this book. After growing up as a slave Ebony learned to rely solely on herself and that getting close to other people will only hurt you in the long run but throughout this book we get to watch as she slowly starts letting people in and learning how to care. I feel that I also got a better feel for the rest of the characters within this book and I loved the dynamics between the rebels and I loved the tentative friendship that's growing between Irene and Ebony. I also enjoyed the romance starting to build up within this books and while it went in a completely different direction than I had originally thought this was much better than what I had in mind. Like the last book this has a lot of racial and cultural diversity in it and we also find out that not all of the characters are straight which I really liked. However, like the last book L.C Perry doesn't sugar coat the awful conditions that the slaves of this kingdom are subjected to. Trigger warnings for violence and attempted rape. Overall, I really loved this book and it was a great continuation to the series and if you like books that centre on character development then you will love this. I gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.
I was sent a review copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
*This review may include spoilers of the first book in the series. *Check out my review of the first book in the series, Gold Shadow,here.
Gold Shadow was one of my top reads in 2018. It was my first book about slaves and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. The characters were well developed and I was so intrigued by the story. The second book in the series, Emerald Dream, focused a lot more on Princess Irene than the first book. The readers followed her as she found out more and more gruesome facts of her country and as she and Ebony became the most unlikely allies, and even more, friends.
PLOT
Compared to the first book, Emerald Dream had a lot more things going on. I remembered reading a scene around 20% into the book which almost had me crying in the public. The pace was also taken good care of and I really loved both the practice scenes and the fight scenes equally.
CHARACTERS
First thing first, Irene improved so much in this book. I used to hate her in the first book because she was just so unbelievably spoiled and ignorant. Yet, her character changed a lot in this book. I do think that the change was a bit too sudden and fast but it didn’t really bother me. I loved how she grew apparently much stronger as she fought for her own country after realizing all the things that had previously gone unnoticed by her.
I wish more scenes were written from Ebony’s point of view. She was undoubtedly my favourite character in this book. After only knowing how to live as a slave for her entire life, she was starting to feel emotions in this book, which gave her a lot of struggles. She was this girl that looked so strong on the outside and was yet still a cinnamon roll at heart. I understand that this book was meant to showcase Irene’s character growth but I really wished that we would get to see more of Ebony later in the books.
We got to get a glimpse of Asher’s background and history in this book, thanks to how nosy Irene was (maybe in a good way, I don’t really know). I don’t like where he’s going with Irene. Like, I am sure that he knew how everyone felt about him by now, but he just chose to ignore it and let the damage be done? But it’s good that we finally saw how vulnerable he actually was underneath that leader façade of his.
WRITING
So, I was not even expecting to cry with this book. I went in with some idea that there had to be some damage and death in this book, because well, it’s a book about rebellion and slaves. But L.C. Perry made it so easy for the readers to fall in love with her characters and then let us experience the loss so deeply that I’m kinda afraid of what we’re gonna see in the next books now.
RATING
Overall, I’m giving this book a 4.5/5.
The book didn’t blow me away but I did really like it. And considering the fact that I had to hold in my tears on the train, I think this book definitely deserved something more than just a 4.
I really liked it. the first was an introduction and in this you get to see and learn a lot about the characters and what's behind their facade and while there is more to learn, that I also like about this story you don't get everything at once have to wait for it gradually cause everything has its moment. Do I recommend this? Yes but start at the first book because it is a series. and because I can't talk more without spoilers so... Major spoiler alert
I love this book so much! Irene shows such maturity, and completely defies the stereotype brought on her. Ebony and Irene are complete opposites, but are united in their goal to end suffering. Irene brings out the vulnerability in Ebony, while Ebony brings out the soldier in Irene. The added romance was terrifyingly strong. There was many, many, many pages of describing the emotions and physical yearning and desire involved in a relationship, and I say she outdid herself. I have no idea how Perry will top this book in the rest of the series. Emerald Dream is emotionally raw and inspiring. It would take multiple pages to describe a single minute of emotions, and contains jaw-dropping painful references that made me teary-eyed. The author does not shy away from harsh violence, but rather focuses on the emotion that fuels the violence rather than the act itself, making it easier to read, and easier to connect to. Read my full review at https://pagesforthoughts.blogspot.com...
I loved loved this 2nd book of the series...It was better than the first one..I liked how you but all the charactors together to be a family..how the princess had to see how it was in real life...L C Perry you are a great writer. cant wait to read more of your books. thanks for letting me review these books. Keep them coming..I will read them...thanks Karen
The prose can occasionally veer a little weak and Ebony is unfortunately sidelined, but the character their dynamics, emotions and interactions remain extremely enjoyable. Some of the drama can get a little repetitive towards the end since there’s not enough to distinguish it from the rest of the moments of high drama.
Say goodbye to the ignorant princess of the past and hello to the new queen with a goal.
The plot, first and foremost, was developed amazingly. So many events that happened here co-related with the first book, Emerald Dream and did not seem to be an afterthought. It really shows that the plans and the ideas were already drafted and it was executed extremely well. The first book, Gold Shadow was more focused on Ebony and Princess Irene, the background of the rebellion and the some of the newer recruits of the rebellion. Now, we find out more about Asher's team and each individual's past and their relationship with one another. There are also mentions of LGBTQA+ characters in the book and also a little bit of romance. Not forgetting the whole mission, there's a ton of bloodshed as well.
In the previous book, Irene seemed to be a stuck-up and ignorant princess while Ebony seemed to be a slave who had hardened her heart and had a strong desire to bring down the ones in power. It was extremely frustrating for me to read since I wasn't fond of the two main characters and things seemed similar to the times of old where slavery was allowed. The reason why I continued reading was that I loved the other characters. In this book, my initial feelings for the two main characters developed and became a strong desire to root for them. Emerald Dream shined a new light on Ebony and Irene, changed them from being bitter about their state to rebels who cared for their friends and wishes to help society. Talk about character development!
It turned out that the king and queen were hiding far more than slaves. They were involved in something more devious, so messed up that the rebels are increasing their pace. More people are involved with putting an end to the harm that the king and queen plan to do, both from inside and outside the castle. Things are getting messier. There are so many secrets being hidden from one another and there's more than one way to threaten them to tell.
Lastly, there are some mentions of attempted rape, mentions of abuse, and also violence. Tons of violence. This is a heads up for those who are interesting in reading Emerald Dream but are sensitive towards these issues. Nonetheless, Emerald Dream is extremely enjoyable with absolutely lovely characters who could potentially snap my neck but I (who have no experience in fighting or in self-defence) would love to protect them. It is also exciting to see what happens next!
Continuing from the previous book , it begins from the point where it left off as a cliffhanger. The neglected and ignorant princess has been kidnapped and is made to realize the reality of her kingdom. She is forced by her conscious, duties and heart to come out of her ignorant shell and confront the reality of what has been happening under her nose. She finally learns the harsh reality of her kingdom. Along with this eye opener, witness changing relationships between the royals and the rebels. The story now takes a romantic turn as well. It ends at a point where you immediately want to know what happens next.
The book has gotten more interesting, dangerous and adventurous. It has now a whole lot of new aspects to explore. With the characters now exploring their full potential, each and every one has something new and more to offer. The story has also now infused more humor and romance in it. Every day the dynamics of relationships are changing, and its interesting to watch people adapting to them.
The author has continued her mature writing style and the level of the book. She has literally done it again. No matter how much time elapses between reading the two novels, once you start reading again, you discover that the characters have been waiting to be explored by you all along.