4 stars, 7.00 on CAWPILE

Thank you to LB August for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Shadow magic but it's the LADYS MAGIC? Yes please! The Queen of Umbra was a fascinating character. She was multi-dimensional and intriguing to read about, especially when we got to read from her point of view. She has gone through a lot- my only issue is that I kind of wish we got to SEE more of that. Instead, a lot of what she went through happened in her past and we hear about it after the fact through her or others talking about it.

Theo was so cute! Young Theo, so eager, so kind! Captain Theo, a good man, protecting those who need it. He is a sweet man but I found myself slightly frustrated there AT THE END WITH HIS REFUSAL TO DO A CERTAIN THING. SIR. WHY.

I really adored Haram and Nyx. I need to see more of them. Broody grumpy Nyx makes me so happy. Plus he's an archer.

Some of the world building here confused me a bit at first. King Oren, King Asher, King Leopold, etc but I did figure that out in the end. Much of the world, though, still remains slightly confusing to me so I hope book 2 can make it all more clear.

Also.. I'm still not sure about certain peoples motivations for why they are doing certain things and I would like to know what the heck they are doing!

Also, two plot twists and a cliffhanger! How long do I gotta wait??

Anyway, fun time! I hope you all enjoy this book once it comes out!