The is the second book of the The Sand Games Duology. For the Review of the first book, please look at this Blogpost:
Synopsis:
Avaris Gamal has entered the Sand Games—the brutal, televised fight for freedom. As a half-breed slave, she’s faced betrayal, cruelty, and loss. Now, survival means navigating deadly trials, unspoken truths, and a wager of the heart.Allies are few: her ex-lover, Tarik, and the one person she should never trust—Khyan Heedis, a dangerous Reaper who may hold the key to her soul. Enemies close in, hearts are tested, and the only way to survive may be awakening the power inside her… or losing everything.
Review:
After finishing the first one, I was eager to start with the second one.
While the first one was more about setting up the plot for the second book, we still got our fair share of character interactions, though not as intense as I would have liked for some characters to be more present.
What I enjoyed most was the relationship between Avaris and Khyan. He was there for her all the way (he would have taken her away immediately if possible but respected her decision to fight for herself, even if the outcome was unclear) and I enjoyed how much he cared for her. I got the connections between these 2 unlikely characters and the trust that built between them. He accepted her for what she is.
The confrontation with her past and the people who were responsible for her current situation, felt a bit lacklustre. Maybe that was also the point the author wanted to make. It was obvious that they did not care enough about her in the past and the present interactions felt more about making them feel better about themselves instead actually looking out for her.
The Sand Games as such made it look more like a way of giving Avaris a chance to get away from her current life and allowing the opposing sides to come together to safe her. The games were brutal and while I got part of it, I didn’t fully understand every nuance of all rounds. While we got a map to help us understand it a bit more, the 2D version didn’t help enough. Maybe that’s just me 🙂
I kind of expected the end but getting there was still a lot of fun. While the first one got me hooked from the beginning to the end, the second one didn’t feel equally as strong, but non the less, I got through it quickly and like this duology a lot.
🌙 Recension: Hearts and Wagers (The Sand Games #2) by J. L. Cres
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
📅 Release Date: December 17, 2025
👥 second Book in a Duology and intended for mature readers (18+)
📗 included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 367
⭐️ 4/5
Interested in more?
- Review: Fixed Point by Lynn M. Kristopher
- Review: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
- Review: Of Earth and Gold by Shona Barton
Leave a Reply