If you look up the definition of epic fantasy, this is it! The world building, the character development, the pacing of the plot was nothing short of amazing!

I’m not going to lie, for a large majority of the beginning of the book I was beyond confused as to what was happening. It was like the reader was dropped into this world and you had to essentially learn about it as the story developed.

Here’s a quick summary of the world and conflict: the story is set in Meridian (Tova is the most dominate city it appears). The city is divided into 6 districts which are all ruled by “the watchers” the priest class. Years earlier a massacre accorded in one of the districts by the watchers which was ordered by the Sun priest. This sets you up for a wild ride of fast paced events jumping between time lines through 4 different POVs.

Overall I really enjoyed this story, my only struggle was the jumping of timelines. It took me a bit longer to grasp what was happening and which character the author was referring; however, as the story progressed this became less of a problem.

I also loved how queerness was added within this world, not as a second thought, but as a normalcy. Overall, each character appears to have been developed with care and consideration.

I cannot wait to read the second book! This was a fun and engaging read prefect for those who enjoy high fantasy, faced paced books!