Blaze was born wrong. And the entire world blames her for it. 
Upon her birth, a terrible storm decimated the world around her, with thousands left dead. She is the Storm Weaver, inheriting a legacy of a people long thought lost. And despite her being a newborn when the storm came, everyone hates her for the destruction her birth caused. She's been hidden away for her entire life, when, shortly after the celebration of her and her twin brother Flint's 17th Name Day, they both get selected to become Heirs--candidates for royal leadership to serve the Emperor, sentenced to compete in three trials that could kill them, or condemn them. 

I'm going to stop there, because there's so much incredible story that I don't want to risk giving away, but... holy crap. This was so good. I cannot wait for the next book. 

I was enchanted with this book from the first sentence. The characters are fleshed out and grounded, and the magic of the world somehow feels both like old hat and entirely unexpected. There are a lot of fantasy books out there that feature games or trials, and plenty with elemental powers, as well. Somehow this book made both tropes feel new again. The nuances to the elemental courts' powers, which I'm sure we'll get further into with the books to come in the series, are really interesting. The lore of the world itself is so clearly full of mystery and there is so much more to learn. I feel like I can anticipate some of what's to come, but we only get teases of possibilities. It's both the best and the worst, as all I want to do is read the next installment.

I'm so excited to delve into this world more with the next book. Even with a young protagonist, she's been through enough that it's clear she has a more mature angle on the world around her, and I think is as prepared as anyone can be for whatever insanity is waiting around the corner. I'm so excited to be waiting with her.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for an digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!