Ahh this book was perfect. I haven’t had so much fun reading a book in forever. And it all goes back to the banter between Artemisia and the revenant. I love a good dynamic between friends, and I especially loved how hilarious and sarcastic the revenant is. (For the handful of people who’ve read The Rigel Black Chronicles, the revenant’s relationship with Artemisia gave me major Harry and Dom vibes and I was actually screaming at some points cause it was so good aksfkflfkd). I also totally enjoyed screenshotting the revenant’s iconic lines and sending them to my friend to attack her sleeping and eating and drinking habits lol

Anyway, besides that, I loved the aroace rep we got. It was done perfectly and the lack of romance was exactly what I needed from a good ya fantasy. It was nice to see Artemisia grow as a character and learn to trust others and develop friendships. I really liked Marguerite and Jean and Charles. And Omg Engeurrand gave me Raoul vibes but like not in height but personality. He’s just such a Dad figure you know. And the revenant is like the mom friend of the group. I’m not sure if Artemisia is also autistic, but I did note some things that kind of made me think she might be.

Overall, the plot was great and kept me on my toes. The banter kept things fun, but I actually really enjoyed the world too and wish we got to see even more of it and how things work. My one complaint is that the backstory about the Raven King and the wars was a little confusing. I think the way it was told just didn’t make it completely clear what happened when, and I wish we got a timeline of events or something.

The ending, while in some aspects was a little predictable, I didn’t mind too much just because I really fell in love with the characters. The ending was good and satisfying, and I was happy enough with it to not lower my rating

4/5 stars! Highly recommend!