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84 points, 4 ¼ stars
Quote:

Nezarra hesitated. “What about the curse? It is believed that you can’t be out of the water for too long.”
“I’ve only been out of the ocean for a day, not a year. And what does this curse say anyway?”
“The curse states for more than one day.” Nezarra rubbed her bicep, biting her lip. “I don’t know more than that.”

Review:
I quite liked reading Veiled by Desire. I liked the story a lot. I recently read the first book in the series, Clouded by Envy, and I found this book much like the previous, only it was a bit better. I enjoyed reading this and I look forward to reading the follow-up book next year, too.

Like the previous book, Veiled by Desire has two main characters that it bounces between. At first they were unconnected, but you knew they would meet up eventually. These dual perspectives worked better this time and I found I was interested in both sides of the story equally. I still had a preference, but I wasn't annoyed when I had to switch.

The world is so interesting. This time, we're in Laith, a magical realm where the fantastic is possible. The main character each have something different about them. One is a rogue little mermaid, cursed. The other has some neato magic powers. Both were good characters and stood well on their own. The world they live in itself is weird and filled with pitfalls and horrors. And not altogether coherent, unfortunately, with lots of missing information. The concept is great, though!

If you're wondering if you need to read the first book, Clouded in Envy: No. This book takes place several generations after the first book. However, the third book is going to be a direct sequel to the events in this book.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Candace Robinson, The Parliament House, and Netgalley for providing the opportunity to review this copy! ( )

**This story is a companion novel and can be read without reading the first installment.**

I received this arc from Parliament Press for an honest review.

I have a love for sea-dwelling beings, dark curses and special abilities in fantastical worlds. This novel brings to life all of this and more. I happily found myself connecting with the characters of this novel and having a hard time getting over the “wtf” moments because of these connections. There is so much I want to say about this novel but I feel hinting at circumstances and possibilities will give away too much. The world building for Laith was well done. I did not get a chance to read the first novel but I’d like to believe more of the history and layout is described in book 1. Even with that I had no issues being captivated by this world. The magic is simplistic and woven intricately into the plot. Some scenarios may have felt too easily overcome but that didn’t take away from the story for me. Like I mentioned I really liked the characters in this book. No feelings of forced or lackluster personalities. I can’t wait to read the other books now!

Some sexual content and slight descriptions of physical child abuse that tie into the story. They are not overplayed or graphically abhorrent. Definitely recommend. ( )