*3.5 stars, but i can easily bump it up every time i think of the characters.

quite easily, this was a fully character-driven book with a scenic backdrop, and the plot held my attention well enough. the setting of paris in the 1800s, with the balls and dance rooms, was a great touch that upped my enjoyment of the overall story, but the characters is where i felt the story truly thrived.

there were characters i found myself incredibly attached to from the get-go: enrique with his burning need for the validation and acceptance in where he felt he belonged. and laila in her past that weaved into her present, as well as her sweet and caring personality. and tristan, though i feel he deserved much more development besides from ehat séverin offered us in their past, he was soft and precious.

i wished for more from zofia, but i still adored her intellect and points where jokes kinda went over her head, that was an adorable touch. séverin, our main character, falls into this ploy as well. he was SO well-developed, but i couldn't find myself empathizing with him until the very end.

one character i had no qualms with loving was hypnos, he charmed me every time he opened him mouth. i want so much more from him omg

the dialogue was the strong suit, emphasizing the bond these character had with each other, but i felt the plot and the magic system needed more.

this didnt feel like a first book in a series with the world-building, like we were meant to understand what forging was from the start. i would have the reread the parts where it was explained to understand it better, which i wish didn't need to be a factor.

all in all, since i'm more into character-driven books than plot-driven ones, i found myself enjoying it enough.