"Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds."

Holy cow!! This was sooo good. I'll admit that I didn't have many expectations going into this, because I'd heard so little about it- which is a crime, because this book is amazing.

Things I Liked

1. The Characters
Esha and Kunal are amazing and I love them. All too often, especially in YA, the author will give you two strong, independent characters that melt into useless goo as soon as a love interest enters the scene. This was so not the case here. Yes, there's obviously attraction that distracts them from their goals from time to time, but they're self-aware enough to be annoyed by this and try to push past it. And beyond their (precious) romance, they have their own goals, their own conflicts.

I also loved how Esha was ACTUALLY skilled. We weren't just told she was skilled, we were shown it. She was also allowed to be both beautiful and feminine, and kick everyone's ass. I loved it.

2. The Setting
I could visualize everything so clearly while reading, which is amazing in and of itself as I'm an exhausted shell of myself currently. From the landscape to the fight scenes to the crowded rooms of people, every inch of it was beautifully portrayed.

3. The Discussions
Okay, I love a good book that talks about the way we're raised and how that creates our perception of the world. That's a big thing this book deals with. Kunal was raised to believe his cause was right, and that the other side was beneath him, other. We watch him grapple with this as he grows and sees the world in a way that's untainted by the words of his superiors.

Things I Didn't Like

1. The Pacing
For the most part, this wasn't a big issue. I truly enjoyed seeing the game of cat and mouse between Esha and Kunal, but there's a moment when something shifted and everything seemed to stall. It was kind of like trudging through quick sand for the last third of the book, and even though I still enjoyed it, it took me out of the story a bit.

2. The Plot-twist
Clearly, I can't say much here without spoiling but all I'll say is that it kind of came out of nowhere and cheapened things a bit for me, as well as not being given enough time anyway. I get that it can be so hard to give everything, especially in the first book of a fantasy trilogy, the time and description it needs without being overwhelming so I totally understand. But, Idk, it felt quite bizarre to me. Perhaps I'd feel different if I was familiar with the mythology the story drew inspiration from, but as it stands, it felt forced to me.

Overall

I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. It deserves more hype, you guys. Seriously. You're sleeping on this amazing novel with great characters and some top tier banter. Read itttt.