4.5 BUT AHHHHHHHHHHHH(sabaa how could u do that to them)HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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Where to begin! AEITA is one of my ALL TIME favorite series, so to say this was my most anticipated release of the year would be an understatement. THANK YOU Penguin Teen!

Not gonna lie, the beginning of this book threw me. The setting and magic system is very different from the Ember series, because we’re seeing new countries (?) and I was actually starting to feel like my knowledge of the series made me MORE confused because the world felt so different. But lemme tell you, that 25% mark CLICKED and STAYED locked in until the very end!

There are a handful of POVs in this, but the main three were delightful! The Aiz chapters were what really started me off kilter but when it finally came together, it all seemed so masterfully crafted! I loooove Quil and Sirsha!! They were definitely the highlight of this book for me. And the spice is UPPED in this one! Woooo, they were so cute and had me giggling and grinning the whole time. Also loved Sufiyan and Arelia and the four’s friendship. Their scenes had so much heart and also Sabaa’s humor which made me so happy. The scene where they tracked the chain reaction of killings that would have to happen??? I was ROLLLLLING

Obviously I loooved being back with my fave Ember characters! LAIA & ELIAS ARE EVERYTHING TO ME (Sabaa why would u hurt them like that??? I was legitimately mad on their behalf lmao like they’ve suffered enough PLS). Helene, Musa and Tas were all great! I thought the old characters were woven into this one really well and I think we’ll see even more of them in the next one (with hopefully less pain??? Right??? *sobs*)

Honestly this was really fantastic and the only reason I wouldn’t give it a full five stars is because of the slow-ish beginning and some of the Aiz chapters felt like they dragged. But I’m so pleased with this one and can’t wait for the sequel!