This dark fantasy kinda-sorta-romance was off to a very promising start. I immediately liked the setting as it was presented in the first chapter: a kingdom in the aftermath of a bloody war that they could have won, except the king brokered peace that felt like a capitulation/betrayal to many. I was interested in seeing how the veteran MC would fare at court, and what the prince even wanted with him. Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t live up to the premise. In fact, it barely felt like a story, more like a collection of cool dramatic moments that often contradicted each other. I think my favorite part was when

the palace was first presented as this totally inescapable cage for the MC where he had no choice but to do the prince’s bidding or die a painful death, but then he witnesses A Thing that causes an Emotional Outburst and just… escapes. We never even learn how. It just happens between chapters, and then we go straight into the next emotionally charged moment in his new location. And of course, when later in the plot that talent for getting away could come handy, the character no longer possesses it,

because that would interfere with… you’ve guessed it. More big dramatic moments! 🎉

I wish I could end my complaints here, but the least goes on. None of the betrayals were set up properly, it was just “oh, look, X has been one of the bad guys all along,” and nothing at all was consistent. The MC’s feelings and opinions changed based on some arcane unknown factors that mostly amounted to, “what would get him to participate in yet another big dramatic something.” The Decadent Court trope was played so straight it could be used as a laser level. The bad guys were all very bad and cruel and power-hungry, the kind who just want to torture people while listening to the sound of their own voices as they perform villainous monologues.

…Yeah, right, I guess I’ll stop here. 😅 If you’re wondering why I’ve bothered to finish the book at all, well, so do I I guess I was curious about two specific things. One, why did the prince choose Niko? And two, what did he actually want with him? Because every time the subject came up, the guy set different goals. I want you to assassinate someone! I want you to investigate my brother’s murder! I want you to keep me in check in case I get more unhinged than usual! When the actual explanation (I think it was meant to be the true one?) came though, it only left me more confused, mainly because the MC seemed rather unsuited to the purpose and only ever did something toward it because of happenstance and “the plot said so,”, and really, I could name at least 10 simpler, more efficient ways the goal could be achieved without Niko getting underfoot, because that’s what he’s mostly been doing. Also, I still don’t understand why and how and based on what Vasily chose him over just about anyone else at all from outside the palace.

To be fair, there are some interesting ideas past the premise. The whole messy love triangle has something to it, if only it included more subtlety and foreshadowing. Vasily’s arc has a few great moments, if only it also had consistency. The writing is rather good and snappy and conveys all that cool drama well. Most of the scenes are well-structured in isolation, despite not forming a cohesive whole. The worldbuilding contains some interesting details, and the cliffhanger the book ends on promises more of that. Still, I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the series.