These Ruthless Deeds (These Vicious Masks, 2)

This book was such a delight. This was a second novel that did not disappoint. There are so many elements that are woven into this fast paced plot that make it hard to put down. The dialogue is witty and entertaining. I could not get enough of Mr. Kent. His charm and humor with the use of his truthful gift made each time he spoke a comical one. It was not only the things that he got people to admit but the questions that he asked and the responses he had to their answers that had me constantly smiling. The integration of abilities into the story is creative and woven well into the story. I love how they are never overwhelmed by their abilities, but they become an integral part of the story that we get to enjoy and explore in a variety of different angles. I had guesses as to who was behind the society from the start. I was right, but while I was reading, it was never obvious and I was never 100% sure that I was correct. I remember the ending from the first book to be stunning, dramatic, heartbreaking, and epic, and I could not imagine how this book could do something similar. I am happy to report that I was wrong and that the ending of this book along with the secrets revealed right before the ending are just as dramatic, epic, heartbreaking, stunning, and spectacular as the first book. Once the conclusion began, I could not put the book down. It held me riveted, and I cannot wait to see what kind of humorous, charming, heartbreaking, and epic conclusion the third book will bring.

This book. It kicked me right in the feels.Lol. I absolutely loved These Vicious Masks when I read it last year. And I was so excited to see more of Evelyn and Mr Braddock and Mr Kent.We start off in a rescue gone fairly wrong. Evelyn and her friends have been using their powers to help other powered people, but things go awry when they try to rescue a girl from an asylum. Things quickly intensify as Evelyn is rescued by the infamous Society of Aberrations with the help of Mr Kent. She learns that her good friend has been working with them for months.The Society attempts to recruit her group, and Evelyn can't say why, but something bothers her. She still doesn't trust them, even after all of her questions are answered truthfully with Mr Kent's power. Still, she decides to work with them for the time-being, because they can find Mr Braddock, who disappeared at the end of the first book.So the things that I liked? Well first, this book took me completely by surprise. Which is not easy. There was something tat happened that I had not expected at all. It was a gutsy move, and I respect the authors for doing it. The end was excellent, being a cliffhanger that doesn't kill me as I wait for the next book. I still really need the next book, but I'm not going to go insane over the next year.Mr Kent would be the next thing. He doesn't play as much of a crucial role in These Vicious Masks. His witty self (including his power) is showcased much more in the second book. He's such a great character. He clearly loves Evelyn and will do anything for her, but he always has to put his own spin on it.There were so many new powers in this book. We meet more people with even more interesting and dangerous powers. It kind of makes me wish I had some kind of special ability.What I wanted more of was Mr Braddock. I get that he was missing for the first so many pages, but once he was found, I would have loved for him to be included in more of the scheming.I started this series because I loved the description of Jane Austen meets X-Men. And it was totally true. I love the writing and the characters. I cannot wait to read more.Characters: 5 starsPlot: 5 starsWriting: 5 starsWorld: 4 starsFeels: 5 stars

I fell in love with These Vicious Masks (the first book), so I had to go for the second. I'm enjoying what I call in my head the Victorian X-Men, and this was a worthy follow-up. You know how you read the first book and it's awesome and then you read the second and get real sad because what happened? This is not one of those cases. I think I enjoyed the first book more, but this one had a good story, brought out some more interesting characters, and then stomped on my heart. With heels. But these sad feelings came from what happened in the story, not from me wondering what happened to the storytelling, if that makes sense.The ending is a bit of a hanger- not a right-in-the-middle-of-the-action one (looking at you, Cassandra Clare)- but with enough unanswered questions and where to go from heres that there will be a third book.All in all, I definitely recommend it.

Such a brilliant continuation of the story, enjoyed seeing more of the world these two authors have created. I hope there is another one soon.

I thought this second instalment was considerably better than the first! Finally, the magic I was promised! For some reason I thought there were only two books in the series though so I was initially surprised by the ending.