Reign of Mist ★★★★☆

Imagine Heart of Mist. Now turn it up to eleven. Reign of Mist, the high-stakes, daring sequel to Heart of Mist was even more action-packed and intense than its predecessor. While I had trouble holding on to the first one, this one dug its claws into me and wouldn’t let go.

The realm’s darkest secret is out.

The cruelty of the capital and the power-hungry King Arden have scattered Bleak and her companions across the continents.

On the run in a foreign land, Bleak finds herself tied to some unexpected strangers. When the answers she yearns for are finally within reach, she must face the hard truths of her past, and take her fate into her own hands before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, secrets and magic unravel as a dark power corrupts the realm. Bleak’s friends are forced to decide where their loyalties lie, and who, if anyone, they can trust.

But one thing is certain: war is coming, and they must all be ready when it does.

Intriguing and action-packed, Reign of Mist is the second instalment in Helen Scheuerer’s epic YA fantasy series, The Oremere Chronicles.

We see a ton of familiar faces in this sequel, and we dig deeper into all the characters we saw in the past. We get some answers to questions from Heart of Mist, and EVEN MORE questions once we hit the end.

LIKE. WHAT. WAS. THAT. ENDING. *dies*

Helen’s writing–while amazing in Heart of Mist–was EVEN BETTER this time around. I simply can’t understand how she’s got such a masterful command over words, every phrase lyrical and powerful. I swear, she’s made some pact with a demon if she’s gotten this good. Her writing style is one of my favorites that I’ve read so far this year–and I’ve read a lot of books. Trust me.

I loved the development we got for some of my faves–especially when we got to see Dash and Olena together again!–and thoroughly enjoyed seeing some characters I didn’t care for come into a new light to the point where I started liking their changes.

There’s a lot to love about Reign of Mist–and I’d be remiss to end this review without mentioning that GORGEOUS cover! Because that beautiful thing drew my eye instantly and made me fall in love.

Don’t forget–we interviewed Helen on our podcast! The patron episode–uncut and full of extra questions and an extended interview–will go live before the public episode on Thursday night! Go subscribe at bookedallnight.podbean.com and don’t miss a minute!