I READ IT.

I feel that’s a pretty good accomplishment after it took me three tries to get here.

First and foremost: skip the first chapter. It’s not of use to the story and really turned me off. So much so it took a few friends to say consider giving it one more try. I can say I’m not upset I read it and truly do want to read book two, so that’s saying something!

I liked Auren. Not the strongest main character but there’s a lot of potential there. As the book progressed you could really see her slowly move towards independent thought and unravelling her old notions. I think Auren will only grow from here.

There is absolutely zero world building until about 80%. That’s when I FINALLY got a small glimpse of the world at large. Does it really explain the magic system? Nope. Still not sure about that one. At least the world is a touch clearer. I liked defined ideas and space in fantasies and that was missing here.

Not really any romance in this book. It’s a lot more like Stockholm syndrome. I think that’s played a big part into Auren’s character and the dynamic between her and King Midas. I like that I see potential. The ending added enough oopmh that I’m excited to see what book two holds.

Overall audience notes:
- Adult fantasy romance
- Language: strong and derogatory (a lot of the use of the word c**t)
- Romance: open door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: on page violent rape (occurs to side character), sexual assault, murder, blood depiction