Courtesan Bound (Atlantis Institute for Dangerous Criminals #2) by River Starr
Published: September 10th 2020
Review:
Myth: 3/5
After an impromptu use of blood magic and an impressive display in the final challenge with her prison unit, Nyx has caught Ilias’ attention. Ilias is the heir apparent thanks to Eos taking out some of his cousins. Instead of immediately being fed to the Deep One, Nyx is to be auctioned off as a courtesan to a member of the sea-fea court.
Much of this story takes place in Alexandria, the new sea-fae city. Though Ilias seems to know that Nyx and his cousin Zavian are fated mates, Ilias shows that fae penchant for cruelty and does his best to keep them separated and keep Nyx in his power.
Nyx is in a tough spot, her enemy has her sister, and control over her reform. Things seem to get worse for Eos/Nyx when The Reaper, the one who tried to kill Eos in the fall of Atlantis makes an appearance. The Nyx/Eos relationship definitely escalates in this book as they start to figure out how to communicate with each other and trust each other, since in many cases, they don’t have any other options.
I missed out on the ensemble characters in book 2, with Frost gone, Dax and Titus still in prison and Zavian mostly relegated to the sideline by his cousin, it’s not as fun of a cast of characters.
Magic: 3/5
Nyx and Eos do finally start to work together. They are learning that they are stronger together (at least within their current situation) and that they may as well make the best of it.
I was a little disappointed that the death curse was reused in this book since that was the main driver of book one.
Overall: 3/5
The second installment moved the story forward taking us toward the bigger bad and more ancient Atlantian drama. Even though Zavian and Nyx were kept apart, they found ways to come together not just as mates but start to show they have a bond beyond the magical.
Other books in the series:
