There were small details in this book that I really appreciated. Let me start with a large one, though. This is probably one of the few fantasies I’ve read where the main character has a visible disability. It was a nice change of pace from what I’m used to seeing in young adult fiction. From the beginning of the story it’s also clear that her personality stands out considering she goes out of her way to defend another woman from what she perceived to be a kidnapping or an assault. Most people would have probably called the authorities rather than gotten into an altercation like she did, so that was quite admirable from the beginning with her. Then again, that’s also why she got herself kidnapped in the first place, but that’s besides the point.

Harper’s personality also makes sense in context. She has had a lot of firsthand experience with poverty and it’s clear that she’s had her share of people not treating her well. In turn, she has become someone who is distrustful of other people, but at the same time has a lot of compassion for those in need. Rhen has locked himself away in a castle out of fear that he might hurt people, but Harper’s opposition to this approach really help him see that maybe his approach has hurt his kingdom more than it has helped them. It’s an amazing dynamic that really opens both characters up to character growth. I like that Rhen is a very flawed character and not made out to be this super charming guy that just sweeps girls off their feet. He is brooding (for legitimate reasons) and when he’s interacting with Harper it shows that it’s been a long time since he’s really interacted with girls within a normal context. Harper’s reaction to him is also pretty realistic. No girl is going to be jumping for joy about having to fall in love with you and save you from your curse when you kidnapped her. She was also very upfront about the fact that she wasn’t going to fall in love with him. By the end of the book, I think Harper and Rhen definitely care for each other, but I don’t think they’re necessarily in love yet. I’m looking forward to seeing more of their development together in the sequel.

 As for Grey, I’m still unclear as to what his true motives were for staying with Rhen. So far all I can boil it down to is his strong sense of loyalty and wanting to keep his promises really. There are people that are like that in real life, so I can buy it. I liked seeing him develop a friendship with Harper reasonably quickly. I think Grey may have felt some attraction to Harper. She’s an interesting person with an admirable strong moral character that potentially would have attracted Grey, but I don’t think he ever really thought about it as a serious possibility. Despite his strong sense of obligation to serve Rhen, it’s clear that over the years they have formed a sort of friendship based on their shared experience. It will be interesting to see in the next book if Rhen and him are actually related in a more intricate way. I’m sure despite that suspicion hanging up in the air there are a lot of fans of the series writing fanfiction of Rhen and Grey as couple. There is enough material for it in this book, I can tell you that much.

I appreciated the strong sibling relationship between Harper and her brother Jake. They’ve both been through a lot with their mother being sick and a single mom. They only have each other left when it comes to family and Harper spends a lot of her time in Emberfall being concerned for Jake’s wellbeing and vice versa. Jake’s reunion with her after her disappearance says it all. He was nothing but concerned for her safety and was willing to help her out in whatever way he could even without context.



**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**



Noah, Jake’s boyfriend, is a wonderful addition to the cast of characters. We don’t get to spend much time with Jake, but it feels like we get to know a lot about him through his relationship with Noah. Noah is such a trooper. He gets transported to a magical universe while being a medical student and should be panicking, and yet he still pulls through and makes himself super useful in Emberfall. He’s also super supportive of both Jake and Harper. I can see why Jake loves him. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the sequel since they are stuck in Emberfall now. Guess medical school isn’t really an option in the conventional sense anymore, huh?

We didn’t really get to see much of Lilith, but we didn’t really have to know that she’s terrible. Her malice was shown well in the small chunks we got of her. You have to be some otherworldly level of spiteful to curse someone for centuries and make them kill their own family because they tricked you into having a one night stand. Lilith is something else. I know Rhen was a privileged prick before he was cursed, but honestly, he’s become a much better person since then and has learned truly care about his people and a cause larger than just himself. There is nothing Rhen could have done to her that would have merited the punishment he received.