**TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault, rape**



I hadn't thought this series could get better, but it definitely did. We got to know more about the fae and how their hierarchies work and man are they just as complicated as vampires. I like that part of the lore in this world for them is that they can't lie. It's a nice touch and creates a sense of mistrust whenever any fae character is introduced. I'm also really glad that the remaining love triangle from the last book was resolved easily because thankfully Mercy and Samuel are two mature adults that can actually communicate their feelings. Probably the best way I could have seen that going if I'm honest. I've always thought Adam would be a better match for Mercy.

In addition to that, I have to say that I usually am not someone who advocates for sexual assault being used as a plot device in stories, but this is probably the best use of it I've seen in a long time. The reason a lot of people go wrong with the use of sexual assault in stories is that they focus on the impact of the act on the characters around the victim, rather than the victim. Hence the victim of the assault simply becomes a pawn to drive the plot forward or garner character development for others in the story. It's a cheap way to dismiss the importance of the character of the victim and usually leaves them as someone in the story who is disposable. I think it was done in such a way in this storyline where a great amount of sympathy was shown for the victim of the assault and their trauma and at the same time the development of another character who had gone through something similar was also shown. Ben is a much more likeable character to me by the end of the story. I feel like we got to know him so much in just one scene of the book. It's incredible how impactful his conversation with Adam at the end of the book was to the plot. The author killed two birds with one stone without diminishing the victim and didn't make the perpetrator the focus of the story, which is another mistake I've seen other writers make. I'm really appreciate of the ending of the book and I'm looking forward to seeing how Mercy recovers, because this definitely isn't over. I'm too far down the rabbit hole now, I need this whole series of books!