Hmmmm…I fear I was just not in the mood for this when I picked it up. But alas, I stuck with it, and now it’s everyone’s problem lol.

This story felt like a tropification of every romantasy book ever, and I was rolling my eyes through most of it. While it has lovely writing and an atmospheric setting, I found myself continually frustrated by Liyen’s indecisiveness and weak will while trying to maintain a brash, badass veneer. And while it was easy to guess the big twist that explains her and the God of War’s connection, it made so much of the first half feel incredibly insta-lovey. I just never felt these characters’ chemistry, and when the main theme of this book is the romance that makes it especially difficult to enjoy.