Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

After being disappointed by Lady Macbeth last year I was a bit nervous to reenter the world of ASID, but luckily my fears were misplaced. 
Overall this was a wonderful addition to the story, especially getting so much from Preston’s POV. I am always struck by how well Ava Reid handles mental illness and its effects on romantic relationships. It feels very true to life, and is very important and refreshing to see represented. The tone was also enthralling, and kept me turning the pages. 

My one critique is that since the Sleepers lore still feels a little undefined, the ending was slightly confusing. The line between so much information that you ruin the mysticism and so little information that you don’t know what’s happening is a really hard one to toe, but it was just missed by a bit here. Not so bad that it ruined the whole experience, just enough to pull me out slightly.

But once again, this was a great conclusion! ASID and ATOD are definitely in line to be one of my favorite series.

4⭐️

Firstly, the you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this early. Secondly, opinions on this book are my own. 

I will try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there are a few things that I feel could potentially spoil a few plot points, as there are several trigger warnings and moments that I feel are important to know before going into this. AToD is a LARGE fraction darker than ASiD. I know this is dark academia, but I cannot stress this, enough: it’s pretty dark. It took me a few days to get through the book as it was heavy. TW for suicide attempts, racism, sexism/misogyny (these are the main stand out TW’s). With this all being said, Ava Reid delivers a compelling story with vivid descriptions and several beautifully written passages/quotes. I have so many highlighted, she really has a way with prose. I think these two books would make really good movies if they were ever adapted! 

Overall, I liked this and I probably would’ve liked it more if I was in a better head space/wasn’t currently in a  depressive episode. I definitely recommend this book, however, I’m not sure I would recommend to read it right away for someone who is not in the best headspace to read something pretty  heavy.