To Snap a Silver Stem: A Novel – An Explosive Dark Fantasy Sequel and Rapunzel Retelling of Enemies to Lovers Romance (Crystal Bloom, 2)

Robin

Even better than the first book!

""There is nowhere you can hide. Nowhere you can go. Even if this were to stop beating," he says, threading his hand over my rioting heart, "I'd follow." "Past and present meld and drift and reach down my throat, gripping my heart in a crushing fist. What have I done? Get away. I have to get away." I am loving this series even more after finishing this second book! Orlaith’s development in battling her past trauma while trying to put all the pieces together and navigating the world she has been thrown into is incredible. Parker’s writing style continues to blow me away, especially when it comes to the character’s inner dialogues. We get more back story for many characters and I love the POV’s from Rhordyn and Baze especially. This book had me crying, screaming, and loving every minute! The cliffhanger ending had my heart bleeding out and I am honestly not sure how I will recover from this one. ["

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January 11, 2024 Verified Purchase

Cassie Sanchez

Talk about slow burn

"3.5 Stars I'm honestly not sure what I've read. The writing is poetic with lots of descriptive adjectives but I'm left feeling very confused. Like with the first, this ends on a huge cliffhanger. Of course I want to see how this plays out but I'm wondering if half of the book was even needed. One POV seems completely unnecessary and random. The slow burn of the story is a little much and I'd prefer less flowery writing. But that's just me. I really hope the third book picks up with the pacing. Teasers are good, but this is a little much for me. ["

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August 1, 2023 Verified Purchase

Stefanie

What happened?

"Okay, first thing I want to say is I loved the first book in this series and read it over and over. Was soooo excited to for the second book, couldn’t wait, counted down the days, etc. I have to say I was disappointed with this one for several reasons, which I’ll list, but I hate that I’m giving this 3 stars because the first book was definitely 5 stars all the way. Things I liked: -Orlaith grew as a person, though maybe even too fast. She went from not being able to step outside her safety line to crossing an ocean and sneaking out every night in a matter of weeks. -I really like the secondary characters and enjoyed learning more about them and their background. -I liked that Rhordyn showed up to help Orlaith but stayed back enough to let her learn and grow. Things I disliked: -Way too much info on Baze and Kai’s s*x life. Honestly, why even include those scenes? They are secondary characters, it’s not necessary. -Plot holes galore. For example, Orlaith makes a new friend, they sneak out, get captured, Orlaith says run so the friend does. Instead of, I don’t know, sending some freaking help, the friend just tells the king’s guard that Orlaith is walking home and that’s just, accepted? Like, Orlaith doesn’t check on the friend and the friend doesn’t check on her to see if she’s dead or alive. They just move on. Oh, and Orlaith is over the whole exothryl thing, apparently, even though she’s been addicted for literally years. -Major irritating part here: Orlaith gave up everything to marry Cainon and obtain ships to save her people. I mean, she basically throws away hope for her future, her friends, her comfortable life, the man she loves, all for those darn ships. Then, she has an epiphany about freedom and her body being only hers and says, screw it, I’m gonna do this random guy at a club even if I die for it (because Cainon is obsessed with her v-card) and who cares about the ships I guess? Because she can’t save her people if she’s dead…I mean, I get the idea behind bodily autonomy but she gave up everything for those ships so a quickie with a stranger makes no sense at this point. Honestly, the whole scene felt gross. -Common sense is greatly lacking. Orlaith sneaks out, gets drunk and passes out, sleeps it off in Rhordyn’s hotel room. Guards are looking for her but hey, who cares, Cainon will totally be okay with a missing fiancée, right? I feel like after crossing an ocean to marry the guy, she might be a little smarter about obeying rules such as “No sleepovers at your ex’s hotel room.” Also, Cainon shows Orlaith a prison area, explains that Rhordyn is most likely Fae and based on little evidence (such as a beam of light in a random room back home) decides Rhordyn is an awful, terrible guy and has to go. Just, what? Completely ignoring the fact that both she AND Baze are aeshlian and if Rhordyn was so evil, he would have killed them both a long time ago. Sigh. I hope the next book brings the story back on track. There is sooo much potential and Parker is a great writer. ["

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August 17, 2022 Verified Purchase

L.F.

Hands down my #1 read of the year and I'm certain will stay that way.

"While we spent the first book of the Crystal Bloom series really diving into Orlaith's character and personal journey, To Snap a Silver Stem takes that groundwork and goes right into the MASSIVE amount of action happening throughout the course of the book. I literally couldn't put it down. The path Orlaith takes--every decision and thought she has is refreshingly honest, believable. This is not a book that glosses over trauma and how people heal from it (and that goes not just for Orlaith but the side characters as well). Despite the internal struggle Orlaith faces, she is so damn likeable and relatable. While she may feel weak or broken on the inside, she is not waiting for someone else to come and rescue her. I. Love. That. One of the many things that stands out to me about Sarah A. Parker's writing, other than her uniquely written prose, and delicious tension, is that she shows us REAL characters. This book is fantasy and in a made up world, but these characters in it are real, gritty, raw. Parker doesn't just give us a black and white scenario or viewpoint, she takes her charcoal and shades in all the grey in between. I love seeing how she peels back each perspective. I cannot wait to see where the story goes next and what happens with these characters in To Flame a Wild Flower. I have no doubts she will enthrall us with another beautiful journey for Orlaith and crew. ["

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August 10, 2022 Verified Purchase