What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ravens #2
The Monarchs
In this thrilling conclusion to New York Times best-selling authors Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige’s The Ravens, the sorority witches are tested when a rival threatens to usurp their place on campus and the forces of hell come knocking on their door.
The sorority girls at Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches.
Scarlett Winter, a legacy Raven, has finally gotten what she’s always wanted: the Kappa Rho Nu presidency. After the disaster that killed the sorority’s last president, Scarlett is determined that no sister will fall under the sway of wicked magic ever again. But the powers of the presidency have their own pitfalls—and Scarlett has big shoes to fill.
Vivi Devereaux, a freshman, finally knows what it feels like to belong. For the first time ever, she’s got it all: her Kappa Rho Nu sisters and a sweet (and hot) boyfriend. When Scarlett assigns Vivi the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to live up to her Big’s expectations—even if that means dabbling in a new form of magic.
Unbeknownst to the Ravens, new rivals and ancient evils lurk on Westerly’s campus. With Kappa Rho Nu’s future on their shoulders and their pasts still haunting them, will Scarlett and Vivi be able to save their sisterhood once again?
The sorority girls at Kappa Rho Nu—the Ravens—are determined to restore balance to the world. After destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their sorority in the process, they’ll go to any lengths to keep their secret as Westerly’s most powerful coven of witches.
Scarlett Winter, a legacy Raven, has finally gotten what she’s always wanted: the Kappa Rho Nu presidency. After the disaster that killed the sorority’s last president, Scarlett is determined that no sister will fall under the sway of wicked magic ever again. But the powers of the presidency have their own pitfalls—and Scarlett has big shoes to fill.
Vivi Devereaux, a freshman, finally knows what it feels like to belong. For the first time ever, she’s got it all: her Kappa Rho Nu sisters and a sweet (and hot) boyfriend. When Scarlett assigns Vivi the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to live up to her Big’s expectations—even if that means dabbling in a new form of magic.
Unbeknownst to the Ravens, new rivals and ancient evils lurk on Westerly’s campus. With Kappa Rho Nu’s future on their shoulders and their pasts still haunting them, will Scarlett and Vivi be able to save their sisterhood once again?
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2022
90 people are currently reading
7877 people want to read
About the author
Kass Morgan
17 books5,060 followersKass Morgan studied literature at Brown and Oxford, and now resides in Brooklyn, where she lives in constant fear of her Ikea bookcase collapsing and burying her under a mound of science fiction and Victorian novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
January 24, 2022
If you enjoyed The Ravens, chances are you'll enjoy this one too.
The Monarchs is a super fun, fast paced read with a good balance of Sorority style bitchiness, Witchy vibes, and a sprinkle of horror elements.
Not the best book I've ever read but definitely a great time!
The Monarchs is a super fun, fast paced read with a good balance of Sorority style bitchiness, Witchy vibes, and a sprinkle of horror elements.
Not the best book I've ever read but definitely a great time!
August 8, 2023
"All girls grew up with magic in them whether they knew it or not."
READING THIS FELT LIKE FEVER DREAM
Y'all I don't know what happened here, where they were, what they were doing, and why?
"'Don't be afraid, but be wary,' Minnie always said when she sensed fear in Scarlett. 'You are the storm. But there are other storms out there, too.'"
We follow witch coven disguised as sorority house. After events in the first book they're trying not to let that happen again.
"'Try again,' Scarlett said. 'And take your time. You're casting a spell, not ordering at McDonald's.'"
Magic became weird. Strange things are happening on the campus. They must figure out what's happening, because suddenly there are other witches, Demons?¿ Some weird shit.
"'You could bend a heart to your will, but underneath, it still beat to its own rhythm. There was no changing that.'"
The only thing I read that book for was romance. The tension was great, but I wanted more
Overall this book was strange, it creeps me out, i didn't understand a thing and romace was disappointing. Literally if they only sit and all talked to each other this book would end within 100 pages.
Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
READING THIS FELT LIKE FEVER DREAM
Y'all I don't know what happened here, where they were, what they were doing, and why?
"'Don't be afraid, but be wary,' Minnie always said when she sensed fear in Scarlett. 'You are the storm. But there are other storms out there, too.'"
We follow witch coven disguised as sorority house. After events in the first book they're trying not to let that happen again.
"'Try again,' Scarlett said. 'And take your time. You're casting a spell, not ordering at McDonald's.'"
Magic became weird. Strange things are happening on the campus. They must figure out what's happening, because suddenly there are other witches, Demons?¿ Some weird shit.
"'You could bend a heart to your will, but underneath, it still beat to its own rhythm. There was no changing that.'"
The only thing I read that book for was romance. The tension was great, but I wanted more
Overall this book was strange, it creeps me out, i didn't understand a thing and romace was disappointing. Literally if they only sit and all talked to each other this book would end within 100 pages.
Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
January 11, 2022
The Monarchs by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige is the second book in the young adult fantasy The Ravens duology. As with most fantasy series the second book of the series picks up shortly after the end of the first book so to best understand the series they should be read in order beginning with the first book, The Ravens. The story in this series is mainly told from the dual point of view of two of the sorority sisters of Kappa Rho Nu which is not your normal sorority.
In the first book of this series readers were introduced to Scarlett Winters who is a legacy in the elite Kappa Rho Nu at Westerly College. Scarlett expected that the upcoming year as a Raven she would become the Sorority President as those in her family before her and planned to let nothing stand in her way. Vivi Deveraux was a freshman at Westerly College and new to the whole college experience. Vivi never expected anyone at the most exclusive sorority on campus to take notice of her so she was shocked when she received an invite to pledge. What Vivi also didn’t expect was to find that the sorority is actually made up of witches and she herself has powers.
After rather enjoying the opener of this series I was excited to find out what The Monarchs would bring to the table and thankfully I still enjoyed this second book just as I had the first. The story picked up after a slight break as the students returned to school and dove right back into the action I expected from reading the opener. As with the first book of the series everything flowed well and I’d never guess if not already knowing that this was written by two authors. The story also still progressed at a nice pace and the characters were still likable in their new adventure. I still can’t say that there’s anything overly original brought into the mix but it’s an enjoyable young adult witchy fantasy all the same.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
In the first book of this series readers were introduced to Scarlett Winters who is a legacy in the elite Kappa Rho Nu at Westerly College. Scarlett expected that the upcoming year as a Raven she would become the Sorority President as those in her family before her and planned to let nothing stand in her way. Vivi Deveraux was a freshman at Westerly College and new to the whole college experience. Vivi never expected anyone at the most exclusive sorority on campus to take notice of her so she was shocked when she received an invite to pledge. What Vivi also didn’t expect was to find that the sorority is actually made up of witches and she herself has powers.
After rather enjoying the opener of this series I was excited to find out what The Monarchs would bring to the table and thankfully I still enjoyed this second book just as I had the first. The story picked up after a slight break as the students returned to school and dove right back into the action I expected from reading the opener. As with the first book of the series everything flowed well and I’d never guess if not already knowing that this was written by two authors. The story also still progressed at a nice pace and the characters were still likable in their new adventure. I still can’t say that there’s anything overly original brought into the mix but it’s an enjoyable young adult witchy fantasy all the same.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
January 11, 2022
It’s release day! I hope people enjoy this more than I did :)
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CAWPILE rating: 3.29 (2 Stars)
After The Ravens wrapping up quite nicely, I wasn't too sure what to expect from this book but the premise sounded interesting so I was excited to read it after enjoying book one. Unfortunately, I felt that this book was completely unnecessary and I could've lived with the few unresolved plot threads remaining unresolved. It was very obvious that the authors didn't really know how to continue the story so they pretty much just rehashed the plot of book one with the Kappa Rho Nu house being tormented again by some unknown being. This made the book feel extremely repetitive until the 50% mark when something very different occurred. As for the books plot twists, I could tell that the authors wanted them to be shocking. However, the foreshadowing was all over the place so there was very little tension building up to these plot twists which left me very emotionally disconnected for the story and not really caring about what happened to the characters.
Speaking of the characters, they were wildly different in this book. It felt like there was zero continuity in their personalities. I do understand that after the events of the first book that they would be acting differently, though this was to another level. At times I felt like I was reading a book about completely different characters because their dialogue and actions made absolutely no sense. Vivi was the one who changed the most for me, one second she loves the sorority and the sisterhood she has formed, then a little while later she changes her mind and decides she doesn't like the sisterhood dynamic and that they argue all of the time. It made no sense whatsoever.
As expected, the characters also had various romantic subplots, and they were handled so poorly due to the characters not acting as themselves. To keep this spoiler free for both books, Vivi and her romantic interest felt extremely forced. There was no chemistry between them that they had in the first book and Vivi was constantly making decisions that she would never have made previously. I am also upset about this because it made my favourite character barely appear in this book However, I do believe Scarlett's love interests were much more believable as they were directly linked to the plot, but due to the messy foreshadowing the relationships didn't live up to their full potential.
The ending of the book was wrapped up way to nicely and quickly in my opinion, it also contradicts something one of The Monarchs said earlier in the book. I am not surprised though. The ending made the characters too powerful and wasn’t plausible to resolve that easily at all. Despite this I wouldn’t be opposed to another book from someone else’s POV following their new duties (no spoilers) as that would probably be way more interesting than this book ever was.
Lastly, I'd like to say that the title of the book is mostly irrelevant to what this book is actually about as 'The Monarchs' are the parents of the current witches that used to attend Westerly College and have formed a witch council-type thing. It was probably chosen to stick with the animal theme so that it matched book one, but it did not fit the story at all.
While I did not like this book, it did have the potential to be a really good book but due to bad authorial choices it fell short for me. I do believe that not much could've been done though as this book isn't their IP and they were hired to write it by Alloy Entertainment who probably had a lot more creative control over this book.
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
CAWPILE rating: 3.29 (2 Stars)
After The Ravens wrapping up quite nicely, I wasn't too sure what to expect from this book but the premise sounded interesting so I was excited to read it after enjoying book one. Unfortunately, I felt that this book was completely unnecessary and I could've lived with the few unresolved plot threads remaining unresolved. It was very obvious that the authors didn't really know how to continue the story so they pretty much just rehashed the plot of book one with the Kappa Rho Nu house being tormented again by some unknown being. This made the book feel extremely repetitive until the 50% mark when something very different occurred. As for the books plot twists, I could tell that the authors wanted them to be shocking. However, the foreshadowing was all over the place so there was very little tension building up to these plot twists which left me very emotionally disconnected for the story and not really caring about what happened to the characters.
Speaking of the characters, they were wildly different in this book. It felt like there was zero continuity in their personalities. I do understand that after the events of the first book that they would be acting differently, though this was to another level. At times I felt like I was reading a book about completely different characters because their dialogue and actions made absolutely no sense. Vivi was the one who changed the most for me, one second she loves the sorority and the sisterhood she has formed, then a little while later she changes her mind and decides she doesn't like the sisterhood dynamic and that they argue all of the time. It made no sense whatsoever.
As expected, the characters also had various romantic subplots, and they were handled so poorly due to the characters not acting as themselves. To keep this spoiler free for both books, Vivi and her romantic interest felt extremely forced. There was no chemistry between them that they had in the first book and Vivi was constantly making decisions that she would never have made previously. I am also upset about this because it made my favourite character barely appear in this book However, I do believe Scarlett's love interests were much more believable as they were directly linked to the plot, but due to the messy foreshadowing the relationships didn't live up to their full potential.
The ending of the book was wrapped up way to nicely and quickly in my opinion, it also contradicts something one of The Monarchs said earlier in the book. I am not surprised though. The ending made the characters too powerful and wasn’t plausible to resolve that easily at all. Despite this I wouldn’t be opposed to another book from someone else’s POV following their new duties (no spoilers) as that would probably be way more interesting than this book ever was.
Lastly, I'd like to say that the title of the book is mostly irrelevant to what this book is actually about as 'The Monarchs' are the parents of the current witches that used to attend Westerly College and have formed a witch council-type thing. It was probably chosen to stick with the animal theme so that it matched book one, but it did not fit the story at all.
While I did not like this book, it did have the potential to be a really good book but due to bad authorial choices it fell short for me. I do believe that not much could've been done though as this book isn't their IP and they were hired to write it by Alloy Entertainment who probably had a lot more creative control over this book.
February 21, 2022
I think this was even better than the first book.
The book ends all nicely wrapped up, but there is also enough new information that they could totally make more books in this series.
Personally, I hope they do!
The book ends all nicely wrapped up, but there is also enough new information that they could totally make more books in this series.
Personally, I hope they do!
January 23, 2022
I struggled to try and remember The Ravens, chalking it up to too many books since then, but really, it just wasn't memorable. And even though it sort of came back to me while I was reading The Monarchs, at the end of the day, I just really didn't care about the story or the characters.
September 14, 2022
Weak begining, strong middle, solid ending.
December 29, 2025
Ben scritto, scorre senza intoppi, trama ben congeniata, personaggi interesanti. Anche in questo caso, come nel primo libro della saga, non riesco però a concepire come si possa ambientare un libro in un campus universitario in pieno semestre studentesco e non accennare – neppure di sfuggita – che i protagonisti frequentano delle lezioni.Non c'è una singola scena ambientata in un'aula, non ci sono riferimenti a corsi appena seguiti, non c'è "scuola", i protagonisti fanno tutto fuorchè studiare. Un pò inverosimile, questa mancanza rovina l'ambientazione.
***
Well written, flows smoothly, well thought out plot, interesting characters. Also in this case, as in the first book of the saga, however, I cannot conceive how a book can be set on a university campus in the middle of a student semester and not mention – not even in passing – that the protagonists attend classes. There is no a single scene set in a classroom, there are no references to courses just followed, there is no "school", the caracthers do everything but study. A little far-fetched, this lack spoils the setting.
***
Well written, flows smoothly, well thought out plot, interesting characters. Also in this case, as in the first book of the saga, however, I cannot conceive how a book can be set on a university campus in the middle of a student semester and not mention – not even in passing – that the protagonists attend classes. There is no a single scene set in a classroom, there are no references to courses just followed, there is no "school", the caracthers do everything but study. A little far-fetched, this lack spoils the setting.
February 7, 2022
This was so different from the first book, it's almost like it's not a sequel. In the first book we meet Vivi, a new witch who's eager to be a sister in her sorority and Scarlett, a seasoned witch trying to make her family proud. In this one, Vivi starts acting like she's better than other people and started using her magic on others. Vivi and Scarlett's relationship also suffered and I was surprised it took the girls so long to figure out that something was wrong. I'm not sure why everything changed so much, but I didn't really like it.
The story does go by quickly and there's a lot of drama and dark magic going on. I just didn't like how some of the characters acted and thought some parts were sort of rushed and didn't have enough explanation. The Ravens would have been better as a standalone I think.
The story does go by quickly and there's a lot of drama and dark magic going on. I just didn't like how some of the characters acted and thought some parts were sort of rushed and didn't have enough explanation. The Ravens would have been better as a standalone I think.
March 9, 2021
Fierce, ominous, thrilling! Those are three words that describe this sequel, and end to the duology. I devoured this book in 24 hours, and I am absolutely blown away. I don’t typically care for duologies because they feel too short, but this one was so well done!! The struggle, the revenge, the CREEP FACTOR!! Loved it! The plot line picks right back up from the end of The Ravens, and smoothly continues on. The tension with the impending evil, the build up and then the release was all executed perfectly. The characters are feisty, humbling, and daring. By far one of my new favorite series ever.
July 15, 2022
If Teen Wolf and The House Bunny had a baby it would be this book
August 30, 2022
3,5 pour moi. Je l'ai trouvé beaucoup moins bon que le premier 😕 c'est vraiment très long à se mettre en plus en fait même si la finalité est sympa
August 24, 2025
حلوة اوي اوي...
في الاول كانت مطولة قبل دخول الاحداث بس روعة بعد كده...
ڤانتازيا مثالية...
في الاول كانت مطولة قبل دخول الاحداث بس روعة بعد كده...
ڤانتازيا مثالية...
October 31, 2021
RTC for blog.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.
November 12, 2022
Recensione DILOGIA a cura di Julie sul blog: https://www.leggereromanticamente.com...
Vi consiglio la lettura di questa dilogia se amate i fantasy, le streghe e i college romance: non rimarrete delusi!
Vi consiglio la lettura di questa dilogia se amate i fantasy, le streghe e i college romance: non rimarrete delusi!
December 16, 2021
I received an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Monarchs is the sequel to The Ravens, a New Adult (but completely clean and suitable for YA audiences) urban fantasy novel set in a college campus. The books focus on a coven of young witches sort of masquerading as a normal sorority, but really keeping a long history and heritage alive through the education of the new generation of Ravens, while also maintaining their standing as the most influential and prestigious sorority on campus.
In The Monarchs, the sisters are still reeling from the events of the first book, and the story continues from there and revolves a lot around the effects of those events on everyone involved; because of this, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book without having read The Ravens first.
Scarlett and Vivi are once again our MCs, and the chapters switch from one POV to the other. The book is written in third person and delves a lot into the state of mind of the protagonists: their fears, their uncertainty, their emotional scars if you will — all this while they are trying to lead the coven into a new year and very important events with extremely prominent guests.
I really enjoy school settings, particularly when they are used to impart a dark academia vibe to a novel that benefits from a bit of a dark, mysterious atmosphere, like this one. I appreciated the descriptions which helped me imagine the sorority houses, the cafes, and the campus in general.
Where this book let me down a bit was characterization. The MCs aren’t well fleshed out for most of it, and for a long stretch they feel like little more than plot devices, only there to push forward whatever events will work as catalysts for the rest of the story. I was very disappointed because I had found Scarlett especially a fairly compelling character and I was looking forward to hearing more about these two girls who managed to form a bond through some very trying circumstances in the first book.
What we did see of them painted them in a fairly unflattering light, with them somehow losing all the character growth that had been achieved during the first book, and instead being a big too self-absorbed, shallow, and overly focused on outward appearances. This of course contributed to things getting really bad, so unfortunately when things start falling apart, as the reader I had a hard time feeling bad for them as they hadn’t been the most appealing nor the most relatable characters.
The narrative also felt a little unfocused and the pace was frequently a bit off, which affected how much suspense and sense of urgency we could feel during specific sequences.
This made a perfectly reasonable 400-something pages feel like a much longer book, and added to the characterization issues to sort of make me want to give up on the duology as a whole, unfortunately.
I did finish this but I cannot give it more than 2 1/2 stars I’m afraid, as it made me want to unhaul the first book.
The Monarchs is the sequel to The Ravens, a New Adult (but completely clean and suitable for YA audiences) urban fantasy novel set in a college campus. The books focus on a coven of young witches sort of masquerading as a normal sorority, but really keeping a long history and heritage alive through the education of the new generation of Ravens, while also maintaining their standing as the most influential and prestigious sorority on campus.
In The Monarchs, the sisters are still reeling from the events of the first book, and the story continues from there and revolves a lot around the effects of those events on everyone involved; because of this, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book without having read The Ravens first.
Scarlett and Vivi are once again our MCs, and the chapters switch from one POV to the other. The book is written in third person and delves a lot into the state of mind of the protagonists: their fears, their uncertainty, their emotional scars if you will — all this while they are trying to lead the coven into a new year and very important events with extremely prominent guests.
I really enjoy school settings, particularly when they are used to impart a dark academia vibe to a novel that benefits from a bit of a dark, mysterious atmosphere, like this one. I appreciated the descriptions which helped me imagine the sorority houses, the cafes, and the campus in general.
Where this book let me down a bit was characterization. The MCs aren’t well fleshed out for most of it, and for a long stretch they feel like little more than plot devices, only there to push forward whatever events will work as catalysts for the rest of the story. I was very disappointed because I had found Scarlett especially a fairly compelling character and I was looking forward to hearing more about these two girls who managed to form a bond through some very trying circumstances in the first book.
What we did see of them painted them in a fairly unflattering light, with them somehow losing all the character growth that had been achieved during the first book, and instead being a big too self-absorbed, shallow, and overly focused on outward appearances. This of course contributed to things getting really bad, so unfortunately when things start falling apart, as the reader I had a hard time feeling bad for them as they hadn’t been the most appealing nor the most relatable characters.
The narrative also felt a little unfocused and the pace was frequently a bit off, which affected how much suspense and sense of urgency we could feel during specific sequences.
This made a perfectly reasonable 400-something pages feel like a much longer book, and added to the characterization issues to sort of make me want to give up on the duology as a whole, unfortunately.
I did finish this but I cannot give it more than 2 1/2 stars I’m afraid, as it made me want to unhaul the first book.
November 14, 2021
4.5 stars
This action-packed and undeniably spellbinding conclusion to the bestselling The Ravens Duology is utterly unputdownable. It’s dark and gritty, Scream Queens meets Pretty Little Liars premise was absolute perfection and I fell totally in love with all the witchy drama and supernatural sabotage.
The Ravens aka Kappa Rho Nu are determined to restore balance to the world after the events of the previous book (destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their Sorority.) Now they’ll go to any lengths to protect their secret as the most powerful coven of witches in the country—and on campus.
Scarlett Winter has finally gotten what she’s always wanted, President of Kappa Rho Nu just like her mother and older sister but, the pressures of alumni bureaucracy and past mistakes starts to take a toll with Scarlet at risk of losing the very thing that defines her—her magic.
As a new member of Kappa Rho Nu, Vivi Devereaux has finally found a place to belong. With her sorority sisters behind her (and Scarlett’s blessing) she finally starts dating her college crush (who also happens to be Scarlett’s ex.) After being assigned the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to succeed but when her studies uncover a new form of magic (one tied to Kappa’s past and the vengeful demon once tied to the talisman) things take a deadly turn.
With the weight of their new responsibilities upon them, Scarlett and Vivi must save their sisterhood from both the forces of hell and a rival sorority threaten to unleash havoc on the Ravens.
After that phenomenal ending of The Ravens I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Monarchs and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved the supernatural intrigue surrounding the history of the coven and the mystery of their magical saboteur—I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I also loved seeing more of The Ravens (including Vivi and Scarlett) and how they navigated life after such a life changing (and tragic) event, especially Vivi who went through ALOT in the last book.
Although I enjoyed the romance aspects for both girls, I preferred Scarlett’s romantic arc as Vivi’s relationship struggles only seemed to mirror Scarlett’s previous relationship issues. I also loved how much more developed Scarlett was as a character, she’s definitely way more likeable than she was in The Ravens.
Overall, this tension filled witchy YA Fantasy was both enjoyable and utterly addictive— if you love witchy YA, Pretty Little Liars or Scream Queens I’d definitely recommend checking this Duology out.
Also, thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.
This action-packed and undeniably spellbinding conclusion to the bestselling The Ravens Duology is utterly unputdownable. It’s dark and gritty, Scream Queens meets Pretty Little Liars premise was absolute perfection and I fell totally in love with all the witchy drama and supernatural sabotage.
The Ravens aka Kappa Rho Nu are determined to restore balance to the world after the events of the previous book (destroying an ancient talisman and barely saving their Sorority.) Now they’ll go to any lengths to protect their secret as the most powerful coven of witches in the country—and on campus.
Scarlett Winter has finally gotten what she’s always wanted, President of Kappa Rho Nu just like her mother and older sister but, the pressures of alumni bureaucracy and past mistakes starts to take a toll with Scarlet at risk of losing the very thing that defines her—her magic.
As a new member of Kappa Rho Nu, Vivi Devereaux has finally found a place to belong. With her sorority sisters behind her (and Scarlett’s blessing) she finally starts dating her college crush (who also happens to be Scarlett’s ex.) After being assigned the coveted role of social chair, Vivi is determined to succeed but when her studies uncover a new form of magic (one tied to Kappa’s past and the vengeful demon once tied to the talisman) things take a deadly turn.
With the weight of their new responsibilities upon them, Scarlett and Vivi must save their sisterhood from both the forces of hell and a rival sorority threaten to unleash havoc on the Ravens.
After that phenomenal ending of The Ravens I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Monarchs and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved the supernatural intrigue surrounding the history of the coven and the mystery of their magical saboteur—I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I also loved seeing more of The Ravens (including Vivi and Scarlett) and how they navigated life after such a life changing (and tragic) event, especially Vivi who went through ALOT in the last book.
Although I enjoyed the romance aspects for both girls, I preferred Scarlett’s romantic arc as Vivi’s relationship struggles only seemed to mirror Scarlett’s previous relationship issues. I also loved how much more developed Scarlett was as a character, she’s definitely way more likeable than she was in The Ravens.
Overall, this tension filled witchy YA Fantasy was both enjoyable and utterly addictive— if you love witchy YA, Pretty Little Liars or Scream Queens I’d definitely recommend checking this Duology out.
Also, thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.
![Profile Image for julia ☆ [owls reads].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1636739475i%2F5520447._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
March 26, 2022
I'm so sad The Monarchs didn't give me the fun vibes that the previous book did. :/
I was pretty entertained right up until about 30% of the book or so. I had a great time being back in this world and reading about the girls doing magic and I really enjoyed how each girl was going through something while trying to deal with the events of the previous book--that wasn't brushed off in any way and I appreciated the authors taking the time to explore that. But then...
Both Vivi and Scarlett started making stupid decisions. I kind of felt like Vivi had a personality transplant here? She seesawed so much throughout the story in terms of motivation and character journey and everything. It was so strange and I really didn't enjoy this back and forth and how inconsistent she was. Scarlett... I expected more from her arc, but I felt like it was reduced to her liking boys and that was it.
Regarding the overall conflict here: I mean, it was super predictable? I wasn't exactly disappointed with the execution of the main twists--some of the world-building related to it was intriguing. But it was so obvious lol and some of it didn't have enough build up so it made me feel like the authors pulled some stuff out of nowhere just so they could get some sort of plot for this book.
I was pretty entertained right up until about 30% of the book or so. I had a great time being back in this world and reading about the girls doing magic and I really enjoyed how each girl was going through something while trying to deal with the events of the previous book--that wasn't brushed off in any way and I appreciated the authors taking the time to explore that. But then...
Both Vivi and Scarlett started making stupid decisions. I kind of felt like Vivi had a personality transplant here? She seesawed so much throughout the story in terms of motivation and character journey and everything. It was so strange and I really didn't enjoy this back and forth and how inconsistent she was. Scarlett... I expected more from her arc, but I felt like it was reduced to her liking boys and that was it.
Regarding the overall conflict here: I mean, it was super predictable? I wasn't exactly disappointed with the execution of the main twists--some of the world-building related to it was intriguing. But it was so obvious lol and some of it didn't have enough build up so it made me feel like the authors pulled some stuff out of nowhere just so they could get some sort of plot for this book.
November 10, 2022
This was a delightful witchy read! I don’t think this one was as good as the first book, The Ravens, but was definitely a great continuation. I loved how each chapter switched from following Scarlett to Vivi and the overall fast pace of this book. If you enjoyed The Ravens you’ll definitely want to pick this one up!
May 1, 2023
3.5
Un peu déçue du deuxième tome parce que le premier avait tellement été une bonne lecture/un bon moment pour moi :// malheureusement j’ai trouvé que le deuxième s’étirait en longueurs et je me suis retrouvée à avoir hâte que le livre finisse pour connaître le dénouement qui se languissait. pas nice
also les personnages principaux sont tombés dans des clichés irréversibles c’est-à-dire que c’était « trop » cliché pour ne pas être un péché mignon? dans le tome 1 j’avais adoré le fait que l’histoire soit juste assez stéréotypée pour en profiter niaisement mais pas assez pour être énervée. Mais ici c’était un peu le cas donc j’ai quasiment envie de dire de s’en tenir au premier tome surtout qu’il se termine de façon fermée
Malgré tout j’ai bien aimé retrouver l’univers et je vais définitivement garder un bon souvenir de Kappa! mais s’il y a un tome 3 je vais hésiter à le lire
Un peu déçue du deuxième tome parce que le premier avait tellement été une bonne lecture/un bon moment pour moi :// malheureusement j’ai trouvé que le deuxième s’étirait en longueurs et je me suis retrouvée à avoir hâte que le livre finisse pour connaître le dénouement qui se languissait. pas nice
also les personnages principaux sont tombés dans des clichés irréversibles c’est-à-dire que c’était « trop » cliché pour ne pas être un péché mignon? dans le tome 1 j’avais adoré le fait que l’histoire soit juste assez stéréotypée pour en profiter niaisement mais pas assez pour être énervée. Mais ici c’était un peu le cas donc j’ai quasiment envie de dire de s’en tenir au premier tome surtout qu’il se termine de façon fermée
Malgré tout j’ai bien aimé retrouver l’univers et je vais définitivement garder un bon souvenir de Kappa! mais s’il y a un tome 3 je vais hésiter à le lire
February 10, 2022
Kann man lesen muss man aber nicht...
November 2, 2024
3.5 stars
To begin, the cover of this book is so beautiful. I'm so glad to keep it on my shelf. Now, into the book itself. I definitely didn't like this one as much as the first one. I found the characters annoying at times, especially Vivi. The plot for this one wasn't as interesting as the first book and there wasn't very much romance. It was still good, just not my favorite.
To begin, the cover of this book is so beautiful. I'm so glad to keep it on my shelf. Now, into the book itself. I definitely didn't like this one as much as the first one. I found the characters annoying at times, especially Vivi. The plot for this one wasn't as interesting as the first book and there wasn't very much romance. It was still good, just not my favorite.
February 1, 2022
I enjoyed this one a fair more than The Ravens. Not only was the main plot so much more up my alley, but I didn't find Viv and Scarlett as annoying this time around which was truly a blessing. Definitely worth continuing on.
December 19, 2021
I had really enjoyed the Ravens: though simple, I thought it was fun and fast-paced.
The Monarchs, on the other hand, felt very "young", juvenile even. I was really frustrated to see the characters acting differently and making out-of-character poor choices all the time just so the story could go wherever the authors wanted it to go. It felt unnatural and boring. This book started pretty good, it seemed fun too but very soon, it focuses on the sorority war and the clues of what is going on is under everyone's nose (the reader's included) but no one figures it out!
As for the romance: Vivi's relationship felt so forced, I rolled my eyes a lot! I liked Scarlett's way better but it takes the whole book for things to progress!
The witchy aspect too was not as enjoyable as in the first book, Vivi is suddenly a witchling again and does mistakes all the time, they mostly use magic for trivial things and it was bratty and unnecessary. A bit of convenient magic can be fun in a book like this, but when it's the only magic they do, the characters seem shallow!
As a whole, I felt like nothing of importance was happening. Around the halfway mark the story takes a far-fetched turn that I didn't like at all! I'm a bit sad because it was one of my most anticipated release.
One of the things I was really looking forward to was the sense of coven that we didn't get in the first book: the sense of unity, knowing each and every witch equally. I love books about gangs of friends (Six Of Crows, the Raven Boys, etc.) and this book is a missed opportunity to read about modern witches, female friendship and strength!
The Monarchs, on the other hand, felt very "young", juvenile even. I was really frustrated to see the characters acting differently and making out-of-character poor choices all the time just so the story could go wherever the authors wanted it to go. It felt unnatural and boring. This book started pretty good, it seemed fun too but very soon, it focuses on the sorority war and the clues of what is going on is under everyone's nose (the reader's included) but no one figures it out!
As for the romance: Vivi's relationship felt so forced, I rolled my eyes a lot! I liked Scarlett's way better but it takes the whole book for things to progress!
The witchy aspect too was not as enjoyable as in the first book, Vivi is suddenly a witchling again and does mistakes all the time, they mostly use magic for trivial things and it was bratty and unnecessary. A bit of convenient magic can be fun in a book like this, but when it's the only magic they do, the characters seem shallow!
As a whole, I felt like nothing of importance was happening. Around the halfway mark the story takes a far-fetched turn that I didn't like at all! I'm a bit sad because it was one of my most anticipated release.
One of the things I was really looking forward to was the sense of coven that we didn't get in the first book: the sense of unity, knowing each and every witch equally. I love books about gangs of friends (Six Of Crows, the Raven Boys, etc.) and this book is a missed opportunity to read about modern witches, female friendship and strength!
November 8, 2021
A fun, fast-paced follow up to The Ravens, The Monarchs follows our sorority sisters/coven of witches as they strengthen the bonds they formed at the start of the school year, and work together to face new challenges. As with the first book. Morgan and Paige throw a lot of trouble at their heroines, from family disapproval to unhappy boyfriends to a rival sorority vying for the rights to host the year's biggest party to . . . well, to MUCH bigger problems that involve parallel planes of existence, paranormal villains in human disguise, and a shift in the girls' magical powers that will truly test their ability to work together. There's a self-aware slightly campy feel to the books, giving readers a heavy dose of known tropes that call back to genre favourites like The Craft, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Charmed. In this way, I feel like the books are very clear in the experience they offer a reader, and they fully follow through on that experience. Though the romantic subplots carry through from the first book, the girls remain front and centre as the action escalates to its high stakes climax. For those wondering, the authors weave in plenty of reminders about the action in The Ravens, allowing readers to dive into book two without a reread of book one. Perfect for fans of supernatural sisterhood.
May 2, 2021
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
I loved the first novel The Ravens and was very excited to read the sequel and the novel started out pretty good, however, as the novel went on some of it just got a bit ridiculous. The ending was good and sweet and far too easily and prettily tied up with a happily ever after bow, so that was a bit frustrating. The love story between Vivi and her partner did not ever seem all that real and very forced, whereas Scarlett's love story did feel more realistic. Also, the characters sounded different with how they spoke. I get that this novel is taking place in the south, however, I cannot remember Scarlett saying "ya'll" at ALL in the first novel and then she said it a lot in this novel. I almost feel like the authors forgot their characters?
The overall witchy story was pretty fantastic and the magic in the world was very fun, I just feel like this novel was not as strong as the first. I would still absolutely pick up another novel by these two authors again though!
I loved the first novel The Ravens and was very excited to read the sequel and the novel started out pretty good, however, as the novel went on some of it just got a bit ridiculous. The ending was good and sweet and far too easily and prettily tied up with a happily ever after bow, so that was a bit frustrating. The love story between Vivi and her partner did not ever seem all that real and very forced, whereas Scarlett's love story did feel more realistic. Also, the characters sounded different with how they spoke. I get that this novel is taking place in the south, however, I cannot remember Scarlett saying "ya'll" at ALL in the first novel and then she said it a lot in this novel. I almost feel like the authors forgot their characters?
The overall witchy story was pretty fantastic and the magic in the world was very fun, I just feel like this novel was not as strong as the first. I would still absolutely pick up another novel by these two authors again though!
November 11, 2021
This book continues at the start of a new school year with our favourite witchy sorority. They are still reeling from the previous year's events, with the deepest betrayal still cutting deep throughout all the girls of Kappa Rho Nu.
I absolutely loved the premise of this sequel. It’s so much darker and grittier than I ever expected, and that is one of the things I absolutely love about it. Some events in the book are so obviously bad choices, and it makes you want to reach into the book and tell the characters not to do those stupid things.
The Monarchs is just as fast paced, action packed and filled with twists and turns as The Ravens, but it's obvious that the characters have gone through heavy stuff and the character development in this one is even better than it was in The Ravens.
I highly recommend the series to anyone who's in the mood for a bitchy, witchy, college/Greek Life inspired story!
I absolutely loved the premise of this sequel. It’s so much darker and grittier than I ever expected, and that is one of the things I absolutely love about it. Some events in the book are so obviously bad choices, and it makes you want to reach into the book and tell the characters not to do those stupid things.
The Monarchs is just as fast paced, action packed and filled with twists and turns as The Ravens, but it's obvious that the characters have gone through heavy stuff and the character development in this one is even better than it was in The Ravens.
I highly recommend the series to anyone who's in the mood for a bitchy, witchy, college/Greek Life inspired story!
May 6, 2021
Writing reviews for sequels is so difficult, especially when it’s an ARC, and the first book hasn’t been out that long, so I don’t want to spoil THE RAVENS for anyone, what I will say is that THE MONARCHS picks up just a couple weeks after The Ravens ended, where a lot of drama went down that changed the lives of the main characters forever, and in this novel Scarlett and Vivi are having to deal with the fallout from what happened in the woods at the end of the first novel, and the fact that someone or something seems to be intentionally trying to destroy Kappa Rho Nu.
I enjoyed it, and I think if you liked the first book, you will be pleased with the follow up! But it definitely isn’t a stand-alone, it requires a lot of remembering stuff from the first book and since I read that arc forever ago, it was difficult for me to get into at first.
4 ⭐️
I enjoyed it, and I think if you liked the first book, you will be pleased with the follow up! But it definitely isn’t a stand-alone, it requires a lot of remembering stuff from the first book and since I read that arc forever ago, it was difficult for me to get into at first.
4 ⭐️
December 13, 2021
So. This one felt a bit lukewarm.
As a previous sorority girl, I physically rolled my eyes plenty of times with the stereotypes that are leveled against sorority women..but I also found myself nodding along too. Very strange mix of feelings there.
Personally, I felt that this dragged on a bit longer than it had to. There were so many players, and not enough game board for everyone. Also..for the book to be called THE MONARCHS, they had like 10 minutes of screen time in the whole book.
Overall…I’m glad to see a conclusion to the series, even if it was a little slippery.
—————
Thanks to the magic of trading groups, I was gifted this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a previous sorority girl, I physically rolled my eyes plenty of times with the stereotypes that are leveled against sorority women..but I also found myself nodding along too. Very strange mix of feelings there.
Personally, I felt that this dragged on a bit longer than it had to. There were so many players, and not enough game board for everyone. Also..for the book to be called THE MONARCHS, they had like 10 minutes of screen time in the whole book.
Overall…I’m glad to see a conclusion to the series, even if it was a little slippery.
—————
Thanks to the magic of trading groups, I was gifted this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2024
I was really looking forward to the first book in this duology. Kass Morgan is one of my favorite authors and a story about a sorority of witches sounded like a perfect fit for me. However, the book was not as amazing as I had hoped it would be and therefore I had never gotten to the second book in the series. While browsing a second hand bookstore I found a copy though and I was more than curious enough to buy it and to start reading.
I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than the first one. Maybe it's because my expectations were lower. Maybe it's because there is a lot less romantic drama in this book and a lot more dangerous magic. Maybe it's also because in this book the characters are not getting stronger and stronger throughout the story. They're getting weaker and weaker and have to find a way to protect themselves and the entire world anyway.
I also liked how this book forced our witches to grow as people. It's one thing when the danger is coming from one of your own. It's different if so many people hate you that people are doing whatever they can to hurt you. The girls are forced to look in the mirror, to look at who they've become and to understand that maybe they are not completely to blame for what's happening, but they're not completely blameless either.
The finale of the book and the eventual aftermath were also truly amazing and satisfying. I really liked how everything came together nicely and how this really felt like a happily ever after, despite the fact that I'm quite certain the authors could come up with countless more stories set in this world. However, these characters have been through enough, I really felt for them in this book, so I hope they have a nice and calm future!
I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than the first one. Maybe it's because my expectations were lower. Maybe it's because there is a lot less romantic drama in this book and a lot more dangerous magic. Maybe it's also because in this book the characters are not getting stronger and stronger throughout the story. They're getting weaker and weaker and have to find a way to protect themselves and the entire world anyway.
I also liked how this book forced our witches to grow as people. It's one thing when the danger is coming from one of your own. It's different if so many people hate you that people are doing whatever they can to hurt you. The girls are forced to look in the mirror, to look at who they've become and to understand that maybe they are not completely to blame for what's happening, but they're not completely blameless either.
The finale of the book and the eventual aftermath were also truly amazing and satisfying. I really liked how everything came together nicely and how this really felt like a happily ever after, despite the fact that I'm quite certain the authors could come up with countless more stories set in this world. However, these characters have been through enough, I really felt for them in this book, so I hope they have a nice and calm future!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews