This Vicious Grace was so good that its sequel had a good chance to disappoint, and it did. As Alessa and Dante turn their attention to saving the world, the emotional richness and plot urgency of the first book is overwhelmed by a lack of communication trope and surface-level flirtations for almost every side character. The end, however, goes a long way toward redeeming the whole. No spoilery details, but it did make me cry, in a good way. 🥲