This was a fantastic part one to a very gripping take of love and revenge! I really enjoyed both of the POV characters and how well-crafted they were. I was able to root for them both the whole time, and felt for them when they floundered. One thing I've got to say is this book is an *excellent* example of representation. The book and the writing didn't make a big feel about it, but the rep was *everywhere* (particularly regarding LGBT+ characters, as well as female representation in varying roles) and it was incredibly refreshing. One of our POV characters is bisexual, and it's written so so so so perfectly that it reminded me of Adam from the Raven Cycle (even though Adam and Cayo are absolutely NOTHING alike). It's just that it we written so gently, so real, and it felt right.

Getting into the writing itself, I really felt like I was reading a professional who had done their research. I know this story is inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, and though I have not read it myself (I've only seen the movie), this very much seemed well put-together and thought through. The plot was well balanced with character development, and I genuinely cared about the characters and am intrigued by the metaplot. Considering there are several different moving parts going on regarding said meta, this could have been very confusing and disorganized but it wasn't. This book has made me want to sit down and try and trudge through its inspiration material, and I don't really read classics.

I really appreciated how the characters have to deal with their own flaws, and how it's done in a real but very sympathetic way. Cayo and his vices, Amaya and her bloodlust ~ and the consequences of both ~ are all done very convincingly when, with all that's going on with the plot, it would have been easy to gloss over it. Sim gives us appropriate weight to the characters actions while still keeping the pace of the novel moving fluidly.

4/5. I would recommend to those who enjoy historical adventures. I didn't quite realize that I was going to be reading more of a historical fiction book but that's really more of what this is than a fantasy, since there aren't any fantastical elements (so far) about the world unless you count that it doesn't take place in any countries we'd ever know of. It's really more of an.. alternate universe history sort of spiel, which I like. This is part one of a duology, and I look forward to the conclusion in the sequel. I'm also very curious to read more by this author.