A little slow to start but sets up a great second book
357132
sets up a ton of possible story lines. plenty of twists along the way. starting book two now. it is going to be fun to see where this character goes from here.
997743
Started slow, but picked up and then had a great ending
3336997
A solid follow up to a great first book. I appreciated that we could get right into the story now that we have background out of the way. Still heavy on description but when it comes to intertwining all sorts of historical and mythological creatures in new and interesting ways  and making great pop-culture references  this book rocks it. I cant wait for the next book to find out more about Graves and what hes going to do about his life and about our other characters. This book sets up more characters and twists and turns I cant wait until they come up later.
A lot more complicated mystery this time. A tad bit more predictable, leaving the ending feeling drawn out - when weve known who, what and how the creature will die  for a while. However, that doesnt mean the action, fights, and overall questions were left with don't hold weight. Theres a foreboding sense of the dangers to come and I cant wait for them.
4937876
This book started off a little slow but began to pick up towards the middle to the end. There were some plot twists which made it interesting since the author gives points of view from several of the characters. The cover made me really want to read this book however I felt that there was not much with the main character from the description of the book. I would really like the author to develop me character in the next book.. I also enjoyed how protective Isa's friends were to her, even when there were those who went against her. They stood by her and those who did not really know her also helped to save her life as well as the people Isa cares about the most. The supporting characters also have varying personalities which makes the story more entertaining since their thoughts are all different and they all have different objectives.
I received this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review
2379839
I have not read the first book in this series so I was a little lost in the beginning and it took a little while for me to feel like I knew kind of what was going on, however it didn't seem terribly important to have read the first book to follow along in this one. I liked that there was a strong female lead with lots of depth. So many times it seems that female lead are confined to one aspect of their personality and Abigail Cross was very well rounded. It was maybe a little slow at the beginning but once the story picked up it was hard to put the book down. I can't wait to find out what happens next and I'm impatiently waiting for the next book. I will definitely be going back and reading the first book in the meantime.

I received an advanced copy to read and leave a voluntary review.
3585059
This is the type of book that starts out weak but gradually gets stronger as the story develops. It took me two weeks and 60 pages to get on with the story as I kept dozing off in the beginning. I actually almost abandoned this but I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars and I remembered that this was how the first book started out for me as well, so I tried harder.

Across A Star-Swept Sea is set on a different side of FDStS's world and as both cultures have too much differences, the world-building established in the first book was pretty much back to zero. But really, apart from the slow pacing in the beginning that involves the world-building which was a struggle to get past through, the rest of Across A Star Swept Sea flew by like a breeze.

The protagonists, Justen and Persis, are characters with substance. They are both strong in their own different ways and their romance is something that was very entertaining to watch develop as they have the most opposite personalities, with Persis and her "dumb, happy and fashion-centric" self and Justen with his serious and research-focused mind. Granted, Persis was only disguising her true self but still it was almost hilarious to even think that Justen would fall for a girl like dumb-Persis.

Justen wasn't totally able to bust her pretense but he did see glimpses of a smart and family-loving girl behind Persis's mask and I think it's what ultimately made her grow on him. As well, even though there were no confessions of undying love and their fake relationship never became real, their romance is as swoon-worthy with an ending that will melt you into a pile of fangirl-goo.

Furthermore, I love that we get to see our favorite characters from For Darkness Shows the Stars here! I almost lost hope that I will ever see them again and it was like a dream come true having the main characters from both books interact together. I also find it ironic that Kai and Elliot made their debut kiss here and not in their own book. Justen and Persis, however, do not need another book for a debut kiss but I would love to see them in-real-love in the third book (if there's a third book).

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
821318
You'll enjoy this book, it was just a little slow getting started, but I really liked it once I got into it more.
2705710
In the beginning it took me awhile to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down.
3312232
I thought the book was slow to start but once I got about 1/3 of the way in I was hooked.
3468448
Had a slow start since I had read the first of the series so long ago.  Once I got into it I really enjoyed the characters.
Made me want to reread the first book again.
3399430
I loved the first book and wasn't sure how the second book would be. I ended up enjoying this book even more than the first, although it did take me a little while to keep track of the characters. Otherwise, it was enjoyable and a book that I would read again.
1108576
While I liked this book, it took me longer than average to finish. The beginning did some jumping around to explain some of the characters' past history while left me wanting something more. While it took me awhile I get through these parts, I really got into the story about half way though. Once that happened, I couldn't put the book down. I'm looking forward to the continuation of the story in book 2! :)
4698350
The first book I could not put down,  but  the second book was off to a slow start, but it picked up more near the end. I was surprised at how the book ended.
4466910
Good book but a little slow to develop so many characters. I realize this first book is to set up the rest of the series. I hope the whole makes up for it
503643
Slow start but picking up pace! Picking up details that I missed the first time around!
1105227
I actually picked this book up at used bookstore having no idea it was the second in the series. It can stand alone, but you really do need the first book to get the full impact of the second. This book was a bit slow to start (or maybe it just took me that long to catch up), but the last 100 pages is where the story got really good. SPOILER COMING: The idea that there were triplets was a tiny bit baffling (maybe even a bit unbelievable) but she made it work. Overall it was a fun book - though I really feel no need to read the first book now. I think it would have been better, and I would have likely given it a higer rating had I read both books consecutively.
2127721
I thought that it was a little slow in the beginning, but as I read I became more interested in the story. Now that I finished I'm looking forward to the second book. The wolf characters are intriguing and the paladin sects could turn into something very interesting