Book Review. A Strange Hymm, The Bargainer #2 by Laura Thalassa, 4 stars.

Warning: Some reviews contain minor spoilers, but I keep the best parts vague. Check out my Reading Ranting page for more reviews and thoughts on reading.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I was so excited to read book 2 of the The Bargainer series after I loved the 1st book so much. This didn’t disappoint.

Callie has to deal with her changes in magic, the permanent wings and scales that make it near impossible to go back to the human world. But she has Des, The Bargainer, Night King, and mate. I thought I’d get sick of the mate trope, but this is done a little differently since they have a history. 

I almost miss the flashbacks to when she first knew Des before he left her for seven years. Even though we got the explanation for that, I think forcing that separation made it more acceptable, at least from a fantasy fiction perspective. What’s a few hundred years in age when you’re practically immortal? 

I also love how we see more of the Otherworld in this book. I love fantastical worlds, and since Callie’s from Earth, albeit an alternative one, she’s seeing the Otherworld for the 1st time along with me, which adds to the wonder.

And I love the mystery. Sometimes, I thought surely Callie would have figured it out sooner with her being a PI, but… makes for better suspense as a reader.

Des and Callie are one steamy couple. Despite the massive age gap, she’s an experienced adult that knows what she’s getting into with him. Also, the balance of their magic fits, his darkness, her shiny siren. I love sirens.

What I liked…

• I like how Callie is realistically traumatised from her experience with the King of Fauna, but she stays pretty strong considering.
• I love how her wings are feathered while Des’ are webbed. I just love wings.
• I liked how Callie dealt with her wings and scales. She could have outright hated them all the time, or slowly accepted them. The latter was done nicely since Des’ love of them helped her accept them. 
• I liked how they knew things weren’t over with the Theif of Souls since none of the sleeping women were waking up. 
• Callie’s dreams were also a good way to keep the bigger story in the forefront of the reader’s mind while having some good character developmental scenes.

What I didn’t like… again not much here.

• Temper’s dramatic appearance felt a smidge overdone and not foreshadowed as well as it could have been
• Again, writing could have been better. Lots of repetitive wording and structures that could have easily been avoided with the right editor.

I loved this book all the way through. If you like faeries with wings, an Earth and high fantasy world combo, sexy men with wings, sirens, lots of smut, and fun times mixed into a bigger plot, then you’ll love this book. 

Stay tuned for the final book, Dark Harmony. And I’ll get to Emperor of Evening Stars at some point.

Advertisement