My opinion of this book kept swinging back and forth as I read, but I think by the end the positives outweighed the negatives. I was definitely finishing it with a smile on my face and a hint of sadness at having to say goodbye to these characters. Daromir and Vana intrigued me even back during their appearances in Prince and Disguise, and I can't say I was disappointed to see them fleshed out here in their own book. (Okay, maybe a little bit disappointed when it came to Vana, but more of that later.) 

The transition to the Draskora arc of the series felt fairly smooth. I think the author did a better job than before when it came to reminding the reader what was up, who were all these people, which ones we've met before and how, which ones we've heard of, etc. The earlier books are rather fresh on my mind still, but I did appreciate it. The Draskoran court sure feels a lot different from the Sandry royal family; I can't say I liked a lot of the people in this book, but I was definitely intrigued by many of them. Kazia is probably my favorite; I really, really want to know what's hidden behind that whimsical chaotic evil demeanor, and I somehow get the feeling that by the end of the book, he was the one who got exactly what he wanted.

The magic here was particularly exciting, both when it came to flashy magic battles and the changing bond between the leads. I do wish it was better explained what catalyzed the changes, because instead of answers, there were mostly just theories. But hey, the effect of it was sure interesting! As usual, fellcats and dragons absolutely rule. Pity Vana's dreamhawk just existed on the fringes, serving more as a metaphor for Vana's longing for freedom than a proper pet/animal companion. Magical birds can be fun.

Since I appear to be moving slowly into the complaints territory, I guess I'll explain that disappointment I mentioned earlier. In truth, it's not aimed so much at the character as at the way his story is told. It took me a while to figure out what Vana even wants. His goals, motivations, his entire agenda, all of it seemed so nebulous... until I finally figured out that the whole point of his arc was that he didn't really have much in the way of agendas and goals. He seemed rather determined to be a pawn. He cared about his place on the board, for sure; he did enough to keep himself and Daro in a reasonably secure position. But that was about it. And hey, that's a choice, too. That's an interesting choice to explore, even. And the way his arc culminates is perfectly in line with the choice—it was really gratifying to see him find a line he wouldn't cross and execute a rather clean-looking escape. It also tied very well with the romance arc and the way the issue of codependency between the leads was addressed: yes, they did look pretty codependent at times, because of the situation they were in, but there was a clear limit to how far it went.

What I sorely missed was an exploration of the reasons that made Vana like that. I mean, yeah, clearly they were rooted in his position at court as the adopted prince who was also a hostage, as well as the feelings of abandonment and duty coming from his birth family. But it was all kind of... told, not shown. I wanted to see how exactly griping with these realities and feelings led him to this point. I wanted to understand how his proactivity evidently kept decreasing over the years, because he's decidedly less proactive here than he was as a side character in an earlier book. And—back to the romance—I also wanted to see how his relationship with Daromir progressed over the years, even though I get the feelings the slow burn would absolutely crush me. But honestly, I always prefer crushing, maddening slow burn to this kind of compressed version: on one hand, this is a story of two people who've been best friends forever before they found the bravery to explore their feelings. On the other hand, that "forever" is almost an informed attribute. They meet, they instantly connect. Then lots of years pass, and they're best friends rather close to becoming lovers. Where's that in-between? Like, there was some of it, but absolutely not enough.

Both problems from the above paragraph could be addressed, I feel, if the book was both a bit bigger and differently structured. A dual timeline could help. Or simply a liberal inclusion of flashbacks. Don't keep mentioning Vana's blood-magical eye color change, show me the scene. Don't make allusions to how Vana and Daromir had to figure out how to handle their bond, show me some of it. Both the character arcs and the relationship arc could be so much better for it.

Still, even with all that, it was a rather enjoyable read, and I'm excited for the next books about Draskora. The political plot here was interesting enough, although because Vana was so uninvested in actually participating in it, I feel like there were plenty of details that were left not just unexplored but unrevealed. I hope all those parts are addressed and brought together over the next couple of books, and I can't wait to get my hands on them. I also hope to keep seeing familiar faces from Silaise, and keeping my fingers crossed that the situation in Kaiskara will continue getting addressed somehow. Actually, I'd love a book about Arla someday: from what l've seen here, he's a badass trans captain after my own heart. Can we find him a nice pirate or something?