Book Review – House of Pounding Hearts by Olivia Wildenstein (Kingdom of Crows #2)

So if you read my review on the first book in the series (Kingdom of Crows # 1 – Review), then you know my need to read the second book was unbearable. Halfway through reading the first book, I ordered the second book and as soon as I finished House of Beating Wings I started House of Pounding Hearts.

You know how sometimes you think “wow, that was so good, like either the next book is gonna sink or it won’t live up to the first one”… well… it lived up and then some.

I found myself falling more and more into the world as we got to see it in a different angle with a different view. I found myself turning on some characters I once loved. I also found myself in a choke-hold by the romance in this book that just made my heart soar, land, roll over, and then soar all over again.

The dialogue between characters, the tension, the angst, the sexy new winged creatures that are coming back to a kingdom long forgotten… I wish I could go back and re-read this for the first time!

Note: this is a non-spoilery review – although if you have not read the first book, then maybe read it first before coming to this review.

Brief Synopsis:

The story picks up right where the first book left off.

Fallon has now done what she was meant to but the outcome was so far from what she expected.

As she now finds herself trapped in a kingdom she helped bring back from a long ago curse, she can’t help but wonder what the state of the world means for someone like her and why the person imprisoning her is claiming she is one of them.

Plot:

This book was much less plot driven as life is starting to settle for Fallon while she discovers more of herself and who she actually is in her world.

I loved the slow down because it led to some amazing developments on the romance front while also still having that urgency that shit could hit the fan at any moment.

The Characters:

Fallon:

Ok, so last time, I said I loved Fallon. This time… I am so sad to say my love for her declined a bit. While she appeared strong and relatable in the first book, here she came off more like a child. I think the reason for that is because she did what she was supposed to and still ended up losing so the bitterness translated, but I couldn’t help screaming out loud at her every time she made a choice or had a thought that went against everything she had built for herself including her self-love journey. I guess characters like this are good at bringing your emotions out.

Lorcan:

I still love Lorcan. I think some of his approach is problematic as he is very cryptic and doesn’t let on too much on what he is thinking, but I had palpitations everytime I saw his name come across the page. We learned more about who he was here, and even got to know his leadership style which was interesting, but what made me swoon was his interactions with Fallon ad her friends.

Dante:

I still like Dante. Does that make me the only one? Maybe Lol. But despite him being corrupt and problematic, I think a good villan is needed every now and then and he played it well.

Sybil:

I said last time I wish we saw more of her and can happily say we did. I loved the girl-talks between her and Fallon but mostly I loved the loyalty to her best friends. She is just that character you can trust and makes you feel good about yourself.

Antoni:

Antoni is still a fav but we did not get much of him. Due to his lack of presence, it did make it harder for me to understand his character in this book but also it seemed like he was acting childish too much like Fallon but I am hoping next book we see more of who he actually is.

The World:

In this book, we are mostly in the Sky Kingdom. I wish we saw more of it, more of the history, more of the grounds, more of the secrets that embody Lorcan and where he grew up. However, the setting was still so beautifully described and all parts of the magic that made me wish I was a crow, a fae, or even a shapeshifter too!

Overall Thoughts:

To say I died from the gleeful grin on my face, the somersaults my stomach and heart did simultaneously, the blush that crept up along my entire body reading this book would be a HUGE understatement.

I am thanking every little star in the sky that I discovered this series recently, when two books have already released and the third one is releasing later this month because if I had to wait another year, I would have come back to life and re-died from anticipation.

Overall Rating:

📜 Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🧙🏼‍♂️ Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

❤️ Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⚔World: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🧕 Diversity: ⭐⭐⭐

Please let me know if you have read this book! What were your thoughts?!