despite some of the writing being choppy and the world-building not fully fleshed out, i could overlook that because i was still hooked from the start. there was so much heartbreak, rage, betrayal, satisfaction, and then more betrayal and heartbreak. there was hardly any breaks of reprieve for anyone in this story, but it oddly worked and made the story more devastatingly dark, intense, and powerful.

the protagonist, ikenna amari, is someone you should not mess with. her faults are also her strengths. she is not perfect, makes mistakes, is biased, and struggles just as much as anyone else. her character development was interesting because she was all over the place. she’d take one step forward and progress, and then she fumble and fall back so much. her imperfections is why i found her so endearing and rooted for her nonstop.

i am blown away by this phenomenal piece of work, especially the ending. i cannot wait to get to book 2.

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this was so good i need a second to write a full review omg omg omg??? — RTC

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august 2024 buddy read w/ the book nook club on storygraph 💗 — reading this in september so i’m late to the party, oops!