Dystopia• Fantasy

Review: Lessons in Madness by Lex Lovely

September 18, 2026

Synopsis:

Peace was never meant to last.

Our enemies are still out there.

No matter how far I run, the past refuses to let me go.

Old wounds reopen, dangerous threats emerge from the shadows, and the people I love find themselves caught in the crossfire.

As tensions rise and our enemies draw closer, every choice carries a cost.

Every mistake could be fatal.

Because some monsters don’t stay buried.

And if the people hunting us want a war, they’re about to learn I’m no longer the girl they remember.

This time, I’m not fighting for survival.

I’m fighting for everyone I love.

Review:

What an emotional rollercoaster this was. There was a lot to digest, and it felt like everything happened in the blink of an eye.

We started with a bang, with our group being thrown into a dangerous situation that temporarily divided them before they found refuge in a safe house.
We learn what happened to Lia in the past and why she isn’t adapting to her new situation as quickly as everyone wants her to. Seeing her treated like a liability was painful, and I really felt for her. She is only just starting to come out on the other side, and that is not how you treat someone in her position. That made me quite angry.

After the fast-paced beginning, we are allowed to take a breather, and I appreciated that a lot. It shifted the focus to character development, giving us a glimpse into their pasts and showing that there is much more connecting them than simply fighting for survival. There is a normal life waiting for all of them, and that is what they are fighting for.
Lia’s powers are still very unstable, and she is sent away to learn how to control them better. This leads to our group being split up, and I already had a suspicion that their feeling of safety would only be temporary. That suspicion was quickly confirmed.

I enjoyed this one a lot. The pacing felt well balanced throughout. The transitions between the faster-paced moments and the slower ones were handled very well. Diving deeper into the characters’ pasts showed that there is more to everyone’s story, and Blair’s story arc in particular felt special to me.
There was a small story arc between Kylo and Lia that I wasn’t particularly interested in, but it didn’t take away from the experience. Overall, this was an emotional journey that I was more than happy to come along for.

🌙 Recension: Lessons in Madness (Steel & Shadows #2) by Lex Lovely
📚 Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: September 22, 2026
📗 available in various formats – 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: 400
⭐️ 4/5