4/5 Stars

General description: Zhara's world has always been a trial where she has no control. Her father was taken from her since he was a magician and her wicked stepmother saved her from the same cruel fate. She accidentally blinded her sister. She's the only one that seems to work to provide for the family. However, Zhara is having a harder time keeping her magic under wraps, especially once abominations (magicians turned into evil creatures). Luckily, she isn't alone. Han (the royal heir) wants to escape his palace life and bumps into Zhara one day. He doesn't reveal his identity, but does work by her side. Those two and a cast of other loveable character have to work together to keep their city safe from the abominations, but little do they know, a greater evil is lurking and only time will tell if they're able to protect themselves.

The good
- I loved the diversity.
- I really enjoyed how much the author put themselves into the book. While this was high fantasy, it felt very personable. 
- The action was fantastic.
- The world building was impeccable. I would love to visit this world.

The loss of a star
- While the world building was great, the lore just kept going and going and going. I wanted just a bit to digest the information but more and more kept coming. It got a bit overwhelming at the beginning and even the end, when MORE new lore is introduced.

Overall: If you're looking for a unique new high fantasy, you NEED to pick this up and anxiously wait with me for the next one lol.