Bid My Soul Farewell (Give the Dark My Love #2) by Beth Revis

Bid My Soul Farewell (Give the Dark My Love, #2) by Beth Revis, Mhairi Morrison, Bruce Mann
Narrator: Bruce Mann, Mhairi Morrison
Published by Listening Library
Published on 24 September 2019
Genres: Death & Dying, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Source: my local library
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RRP: $21.99

The stunning finale of the epic fantasy duology from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis.

Alchemy student turned necromancer Nedra Brysstain has made a life-changing decision to embrace the darkness--but can the boy who loves her bring her back to the light before she pays the ultimate price?

Lunar Island is trying to heal. The necromantic plague that ravaged the land has been eradicated, and Emperor Auguste, the young and charming leader of the Allyrian Empire, has a plan: rid the island of necromancy once and for all. Though Greggori "Grey" Astor wants what's best for his people, he knows that allying himself with Auguste threatens the one person he loves most: necromancer Nedra Brysstain. Feeling like he already failed to save Nedra once, Grey becomes determined to help the Emperor rebuild Lunar Island while still keeping Nedra safe from harm.

Back at the quarantine hospital, Nedra's army of revenants are growing increasingly inhuman by the day. Wracked with guilt for imprisoning their souls, Nedra vows to discover a way to free the dead while still keeping her sister by her side.

But, still reeling from the trauma of the plague, the people of Lunar Island are looking for someone to blame, and Grey can only protect Nedra for so long. And when Nedra and Grey are thrust into a battle with an even more terrifying adversary, Nedra will be pushed to the darkest depths of her necromantic powers. But can Grey let her go that far?

Bid My Soul Farewell was exactly the sequel I wanted for Give the Dark My Love.

I liked how even though the first book felt like a satisfactory ending and a completed story arc, there was enough room in the sequel to tie a lot of things back to the first book, so even though the first book wasn’t cut off mid-story or cliffhanger-y, it still felt like it built itself off the premise of the first one, and I really enjoyed that.

Nedra and Grey had great chemistry, but my god all they did was argue, so I don’t exactly ship them. It’s not romantic to always argue with your lover. I think in my review of Give the Dark My Love, I said their chemistry was lacking, but it’s the romantic aspect of their chemistry that was alcking. Their relationship was certainly volatile.

How do you move on after a tragedy? Grey and Nedra are both trying to fix the world, but in very different ways. This caused them to clash about things that are fundamental beliefs, and that’s not something you can just overcome. It wasn’t crappy communication, it was that one of them believed certain actions made a person a monster, and the other didn’t. I’m still not certain on where I stand on that issue, so I can understand this conflict.

Nedra continued to demonstrate what a complete badass she was. I kept screaming “Nedra, no!” as she progressed through more and more desperate, calculated measures to get what she wanted. I loved that she moved more and more into darkness, but it was from a place of goodness. She wasn’t evil, she was just desperate, and smart and stubborn enough to keep trying.

I did like how Grey’s voice was referred to as ‘pompous’ by another character, because that’s exactly how I felt about the audiobook narrator. Grey did improve in this book, still remaining the same ‘don’t rock the boat’ guy he was in the first, but driven by a genuine want to help others. I loved his relationship with the young Emperor and his meteoric rise to a position of power, and his struggle with his parents. I felt that Grey, although not entirely likeable (for me), was a great character and a fantastic foil to Nedra.

I didn’t see the twist ending coming. I should have, but I was too busy enjoying the story to really think about the few references and hints offered up to lead me towards that prediction.

Overall this was a fantasy duology and highly recommended to lovers of dark fantasy and seeing someone inherently good struggle with doing the wrong thing for a good cause.

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