"And of course the world ended. But it went on too."

One of the easiest five stars I have ever given.

I shouldn't have been surprised by the love I have for this, after how much I love The Bear and the Nightingale (I will carry on with the series eventually, I swear) but I guess I wasn't expecting to love this story this much. My feelings are beyond words. I'm in awe of the journey I went on with this book, so many lines and little details that I know I will not stop thinking about for a long time to come.

Unflinching in its depiction of war, creating a seamless bind between historical fiction and fantasy, as well as flawlessly weaving in the theme of the Biblical apocalypse, all while following characters that are so realistically human - there is literally nothing this book could have done better. Katherine Arden's writing style is so poetic yet simplistic, never feeling as though she is trying too hard - instead, overwhelming me with the power of every word she writes.

This book was incredible. I cannot praise it enough, but that won't prevent me from trying.