Wild Open Faces by Jennifer G. Edelson

This is the second book in the Wild and Ruin series, which is a paranormal coming-of-age romance trilogy filled with Native American folklore and magic. I really enjoyed this light, addictive and intriguing book, even more than the first one. Compared to the first book, there was much more action this time, and less of the guilt and grief for the loss of Ruby’s mother. There was also more focus on the present than the past and the introduction of two important new characters that both answered some questions and certainly raised a lot of new ones!

The story continued where the first book left us, with Ruby and Ezra now being an official couple and trying to settle for a life in La Luna. Which turned out to be easier said than done, with Ruby’s upcoming graduation and a new internship on a nearby archeological dig at the same time as a series of strange events starts to take place, including the disturbing reappearance of Angel’s father. All these events stirred up a lot of questions for many in town, including Ruby, who also had to deal with the way the professor at the archeological dig unexpectedly affected her.

This second book was a wild ride! There was much more action compared to the first one, and the plot was even more well-developed. And the twists! There were so many new revelations both about the past, the present and the future. I really enjoyed the larger focus on the Aztec myths and the mix of historical setting, folklore and magic. And Ezra! I rooted for him already from the beginning of the first book, but he grew on me even more in this one, and made up for a lot of the not-so-great things Ruby did.

I have some mixed feelings about Ruby. In this book she made some really questionable decisions, that I didn’t agree with at all. But I appreciated her inner dialogue about it and how she admitted her own feelings, even the bad ones of jealousy and selfishness when she should be happy for her close ones.

But all in all, I truly enjoyed this book! Even more than the first one in the series. There was so much going on and so many twists that kept you in suspense throughout it all. Seriously, at the end I just didn’t know what to believe any more! To be honest, I didn’t fully understand how they all ended up where they did in the end and the significance of it, or the events leading up to the ending, but I’m sure Jennifer G. Edelson will explain everything in the final installment of this magical trilogy. I sure can’t wait to find out!

Thank you BookSirens for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Jennifer G. Edelson