4.5/5 stars

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. It's dark and suspenseful and just plain entertaining. I could not put this book down. The author does and amazing job of developing the characters and the world in such a short time. I really enjoy magic competitions in books and this one was a lot of fun to read about. I also appreciated that the plot had actual stakes ad developed in ways I didn't expect. For such a fast-paced and short book, every single character felt complete and will-rounded and complex. The writing is very efficient, which usually works because it allows for the fast-paced plot and character/world building. However, sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking in long passages of back and forth dialogue. I thought the overall style and feel of the writing fit the story well, though

I really loved this book, but I wish it had been a little longer so we could get even more development of the characters and world. We got enough for the story to make sense and for me to be invested in what was happening, but there's no reason there couldn't have been more, especially since this is a stand alone. However, I only say that because I loved the plot and characters and world that we do get.