I love this book SO MUCH. Yes, it does consist almost entirely of pretty overdone tropes, but the book doesn’t feel tropey because of the originality and emotional maturity Carey brings to the story. 

First of all, Carey never had excuses, or simply explained things away. Everything was shown to the reader, which created such a rich and enveloping world. For example, when Yarit tries to escape from the Brotherhood – so many authors would just include a throwaway line like "it’s pointless trying to escape, so no one ever does, no need to worry", which always leaves the worldbuilding feeling pretty weak. Instead, we actually see his escape attempt and WHY it’s pointless trying, which adds so much context to the world and story. 

The emotional maturity of so many the characters also really impressed me, and isn’t something I’m used to reading. This was especially clear in Khai and Zariya’s relationship. The way they talk to each other really opened my eyes to what healthy communication is. For example, this exchange after Zariya asked Khai a difficult question, and Khai asked a heated one in return: 

-- 'I could tell the question injured her.
 "Forgive me," I apologised. "I fear I am overly sensitive in the matter."
 "Yes, and not without cause," Zariya observed. "It was a thoughtless thing to say and I'm sorry for it."' 

The love they have for one another means they have the confidence to be completely honest with each other, without worrying that any prickly/hurtful things they say will get a bad reaction from the other person. I could only dream of such a thing. They also have the self-awareness and humility to apologise when they have offended the other, and the confidence to say when they have been hurt. This was all so beautifully refreshing to see. 

The representation/diversity in the story was also amazing, it was seamless and beautifully empowering. The trans representation was astonishingly accurate and poignant, and Zariya’s disability was handled with such grace and dignity. I love that neither issue was resolved using some far-flung magic, as in both cases this often strikes me as disingenuous and alienating for readers with similar life experiences. 

So, while on the surface the book is pretty tropey, in this case I didn’t care at all. The tropes (and honestly the plot as a whole) were such relatively minor details for me while reading this. It was the tender relationships, impeccable representation of all kinds, and emotionally intelligent characters that made the book for me. Absolutely gorgeous.