This was one of my more enjoyable reading experiences for a fantasy book that previously wasn’t on my radar. I liked how blended the world is, as it seems that it’s inspired by several real-world cultures, even though this was never explicitly stated. I’m hoping that in Book 2, The Midnight Kingdom (which releases next month), we get a lot more expansion of the different countries surrounding the city of Nexus. I found the characters complex and compelling (even tho I def wanted to stab Angelica thru the eye for 90% of the book ), and I’m looking forward to the expansion of the side characters. Nik’s character arc is definitely the most rewarding, and Risha is definitely the most grounded character (and probably the most emotionally stable of the heirs lol).

That 4th quarter, tho! That last 25% of the book hit DIFFERENT, and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough! The slow pacing for most of the book definitely helps build up and set us up for how action-packed and wild of a ride the last 25% of the book is. Now that we know the stakes, tho, I’m expecting The Midnight Kingdom to grab us by our throats and not let go until the very end, cuz it’s clear Tara Sim knows how to write action, character, and reveals!