As She Ascends (Fallen Isles, 2)

We start off immediately after the end of Before She Ignites. The gang has escaped from the Pit, Altan on their heals. Mira has discovered her new and explosive power, and the dragons are being taken away.Can I just say that I love how Jodi handles cliffhangers? If you don't know what I mean, I urge you to read her Orphan Queen duology. But this one was entirely different. While I absolutely needed to know what would happen next, I wasn't cursing the author for leaving me hanging for a year. So at least there was that.And then we have the world. While we learn a lot about the different Fallen Isles in Before She Ignites, we get to see even more. There's more of Khulan to be discovered, and there are other islands explored that we didn't see in the first book. Not to mention Idris and Aaru's POV. I mean, hello! We get Aaru's POV! Which I was completely stoked for, and it definitely lived up to the hype.Mira and her friends have an awesome squad going, and it's clear to see that even though they fight, they all need each other. And things are likely to get very sticky for them in the final book.One of my favorite things about As She Ascends was just how much character growth Mira had. At the beginning of Before She Ignites, she's easily manipulated. Complicit in whatever the Luminary Counsel asks of her. By the end she's fighting. But it's during As She Ascends that she truly learns exactly what she's fighting for and how to go about it. Instead of going on first instinct, she needs to learn more about each and every situation.Plus the dragons. There's lots more dragons. LaLa and Crystal are still around. Plus let's not forget Lex and Kelsine from Before She Ignites. There are new dragons we haven't met, and old dragons we have. So many dragons!We end with another intense cliffhanger as things have taken a turn for the worst. It will leave you needing the sequel immediately.OverallI honestly think I liked this better than the first book, which is always tough since second books tend to fall flat. But it was everything I could have hoped for. I loved it, and I cannot wait for more!

I’ve been eagerly anticipating As She Ascends ever since I read (and reread) Before She Ignites, the story of a girl wrongfully imprisoned when she discovers a terrible secret and brings it up with the wrong people and how she grows after everything she experiences. As She Ascends picks up right where the first book left off, following Mira Minkoba after she and her friends escape from the Pit and go off in search of answers to their many questions and solutions to the problems they face. It’s up to Mira to figure out where she’s going to go from her, what she’s willing to stand for and just how far she’ll go in order to make things right.Before I get into my feelings about what happens in the book, as well as the characters, I’ll admit that it took a little while to get used to the breakneck pace of this sequel. Where Before She Ignites was slower, with a journey that was more internalized than action-packed for main character Mira, As She Ascends is the opposite. It’s back-to-back-to-back high intensity situations for Mira and company as they find their way (or forge a path where there appears to be none). While I’m not opposed to the speed with which Meadows employs these twists and turns (and in fact, it had me turning pages really quickly), it’s definitely a jarring change.Still, I really enjoyed As She Ascends. The first book of the series really honed in on Mira’s journey of personal growth, and her personal journey is also woven into this sequel. But this book also broadens the world, revealing new information about the Fallen Isles, external threats and the other characters. It also manages to touch on a variety of themes - the use (or misuse) of power, basic human rights, the importance of (and variety) of the choices people can make and how everything may not always be so black and white, and the significance of using what you’ve been given to make a difference no matter how big the fight. I’m always suitably impressed by the sheer variety of reactions I walk away with after finishing one of Meadows’ books, and this one was no exception.But, as always,it was the characters that really drew me into As She Ascends. I’ve said this to quite a few people, but I adore Mira Minkoba. I’ve loved her since the first time I ever met her, and that adoration has only continued to grow as I’ve watched her continue to be shaped by the circumstances she finds herself facing. She’s not perfect, but she has her heart in the right place and she has qualities that I find both admirable and relatable. I also enjoyed the fact that this novel gives us a lot more of Aaru, including a glimpse into his own past, as well as the rest of the gang - Hristo, Ilina, Chenda, Gerel - being around for a lot more of the story (though I’m biased and would have enjoyed seeing even more of them all).While As She Ascends definitely has a solid ending, there is still so much that needs to happen before Mira’s story can finally draw to a close. I’m both relieved that there’s a third, sad that I have to wait so long and terrified that something heartbreaking will happen to the characters I’ve come to adore so much. (With Jodi’s track record of breaking my heart with her books, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens but it doesn’t mean I want that for myself. Or maybe I do since I keep on reading them…) I’m really eager to see how things play out in the final installment of this series, and will just be here rooting for Mira (and for my chosen ship in this story, which is not the main ship but one that I really, really, really want to happen) until the time I get to read the rest of her story.

I've been waiting for a long time for this, and Jodi did not disappoint! I love the progression of Mira's character arc from the beginning of Before She Ignites to the end of this one. I love her moments of darkness even when they scared her. The imagery in every big moment makes me want to reread them over and over again. And the last big scene is something fans are going to talk about for a long time!Speaking of (hint), I fell in love with Aaru in BSI, and getting to see his moments up to the first day he spoke to Mira in the prison just makes their story so much more powerful. I need to know how he copes in When She Reigns, so go Jodi go!

As She Ascends is the second installment in Jodi Meadows' The Fallen Islands trilogy, so if you have not read the first book this review may contain spoilers. For my fangirling please scroll down a little ;)I waited for this book a year. Expectations were high. And gosh, it's magnificent. So now I shall wait for When She Reigns another year, almost patiently, cause I cannot wait to read how this story continues and ends. I have a few predictions but since those are a bit spoilery I will move them to the end of this review.My heart just exploded while reading. I was completely hooked from the first page on because I was already aching for my second favourite character only to be devastated twenty pages in by my favourite character. I predicted that by the end of my reading the book would be drenched in tears of joy and sorrow, which turned out to be indeed true. I expected nothing less from the author but more on her quality and the why a little down below.The book was beyond tense. One moment my heart was warm and fuzzy, one page further on I was devastated, unable to resist the urge to read faster and faster. Meadows knows how to grip the reader and never let go of them again, right until the last paragraph. I kept taking pictures with my phone of lines that I liked and wanted to copy into my bullet journal, but I could not stop reading long enough to get the actual journal. The third act especially made my heart race with every twist and turn, so much build up let to the last few pages, I could never imagine dnfing a book like this one. But I shall try to write a proper review now that a little time has passed since I finished reading it...My heart just exploded while reading. I was completely hooked from the first page on because I was already aching for my second favourite character only to be devastated twenty pages in by my favourite character. I predicted that by the end of my reading the book would be drenched in tears of joy and sorrow, which turned out to be indeed true. I expected nothing less from the author but more on her quality and the why a little down below.Book two takes off right where book one left us hanging, after the escape from the Pit. But it does not give us only Mira's perspective, we are granted a glimpse into Aaru's mind as well, as he takes us to his homeland of Idris in beautifully crafted flashbacks. These sequences are often short, depicting different important moments of his life.Mira and her friends are now faced with rough decisions as they struggle to not only save their own freedoms but to also use the knowledge gained in the Pit. We accompany her on an interesting journey across the Fallen Islands. This journey, as well as the short glimpses into Aaru's culture, made me adore the worlds that Meadows creates. Where book one showed us Mira and her struggles, mostly staying in one place, we are now seeing far more of the Fallen Islands and the different cultures, all build in a three dimensional way. When I read about the history of Harta and find out how that is depicted in the current shape of the island and its inhabitants it all feels like a natural development, like something real. Together with the little details woven into the text here and there, like the names of stars Mira spots in the night sky, the setting is once again very well rounded and helps to immerse oneself within the story.One year passed between my reading of the first book and the release of the second one as I was sadly not able to reread BSI in time (and let us be real here, I waited AN ENTIRE YEAR for the release of ASA, I could not bring myself to wait another day, let alone until I had read Before She Ignites), so it took me a moment to place a few of the side characters once they reappeared again. But there is surely no forgetting any of the main characters. As stated in my review of the first book I am particularly fond of the way Meadows handles Mira's anxiety and panic attacks, as well as her journey to cope and recover with that part of herself. After what happened in the Pit Mira is now struggling with even more self-doubt and PTSD issues, all relatable if one considers what she went through. This is one of the reasons I am adoring the protagonist of this book so much. Mira is flawed and she stays flawed. She moves forward and works to better herself, but she has setbacks and her condition sometimes becomes even worse than it was in the beginning. But she dealt with issues and was faced with fears many others would crumble in front of. Mira is brave, but she remains human and does not turn into an overpowered heroine to be worshipped instead of related with. Meadows love for her characters radiates from every page through the beautiful and detailed way in which they are crafted. There is development, there is change, there is light, and there is dark. There is all I could ask for in a good book.Her writing style is easy to follow and does not take away too much attention from the world she creates.So all in all ASA is a well-crafted book, in the same quality as Meadows' other books, if not better.But let's be real. ASA is more than that. The book holds a special place in my heart, along with the first one. I struggle with depression since I have been sixteen and watching Mira, reading the advice she gets and gives herself, helped me. It helped me to see her fall and get up again. Again and again and again she collects herself up from the floor, sometimes through her inner strength, sometimes through the help of her friends. It means so much to me to witness that, it gives me strength. It teaches me to take a step back and to take a deep breath, to listen to my body instead of all that noise around me. It gave me a mantra. Strength through Silence. It teaches all of us to deal with that constant noise and panic. With our inner and outer critics. With inner strength.The events of book one gave the character strength but also left her stumbling. Now, book two teaches her that stumbling means moving forward. And Jodi Meadows deals with PTSD and mental health in such a careful and honest way. The book teaches me to move forward. While I struggled with personal stuff a lot this month, Mira and As She Ascends are once again a source of strength and motivation for me. It's okay to stumble as long as you keep going. So once again I thank you for that message, Jodi Meadows ♡

Utterly fantastical and a great follow-up to it’s impressive first book, As She Ascends is the second book in the Fallen Isles trilogy, a series that took me by surprise when I started it at the beginning of the year.Jodi Meadows has a way with words, and her writing fits with the story so well. Vivid descriptions of the great-constructed fantasy world, amazing development of the main characters and a prose like no other, this book made Jodi Meadows one of my favorite authors, and one I consider extremely underrated.Mira, our heroine, makes this story unique, in a way were even though everything is happening in a fictional world, she feels like a person you could meet in the streets. Her along with her sidekicks and fellow friends, take you on a rollercoaster of a ride, with amazing dialogue and impressive points of view.The story itself isn’t left behind. Impressive plot twist that are everything but predictable and multiple subplots that feel just as important as the main one, Jodi Meadows creates a story you can’t stop reading until it is done.Definitely one my favorites of the year and a hidden jewel in the YA genre. Can’t wait for the finale next year!

Mira the Dragonhearted is on the run with her friends following a fiery escape from the prison where she’d been condemned for speaking out against dragon trafficking.And she wants answers. Has the treaty she’s been defending her whole life truly sold out the Fallen Isles to their enemies? Did her own parents lie to her? Will she lose control of her power and hurt the ones she loves?The only way to find the truth is to go home again, to face the people who betrayed her and the parents she’s not sure she can trust. Home, where she must learn to rise above her fears. Or be consumed.As mentioned in the title, if you enjoyed the first book in the Fallen Isles trilogy, you will LOVE the second installment.The plot speeds up as our friends try to escape the Khulani warriors, and they rarely get to catch their breath.We learn SO much more about Aaru‘s past (all crucial information as it turns out, so read CAREFULLY).And our Main Character, Mira, grows so much - without ever once losing her integrity (don‘t worry, she‘s still a Hufflepuff 😊), which makes her even more likable.And then, the ending. I was not prepared for the ending. Really not.In other news, I may or may not need a hug.

I loved the first book in this series, Before She Ignites, and wondered if the second could possibly be as good. The second turned out to be better!I loved the character development that happened in this book. I thought that Jodi Meadows did such an amazing job with portraying Mira's anxiety. She didn't just suddenly overcome it. It was a daily thing she battled against. This was so much more realistic than many books treatment of anxiety. I enjoyed reading about Aaru's back story and learning about his life on Idris. It helped me to better understand him.I adored learning more about the belief system of the Fallen Gods and the potential of The Great Abandonment if the Dragons are not cared for. There is so much more interaction with the dragons in this one.Also I have decided I desperately want a Drakontos raptuses like Lala and Crystal to be my friend!