i'm gonna start off with my main gripe about this book: the change in pov. when the announcement of this duology first came out it was introduced as an oak spinoff, which implied oak would be the main character. however, the stolen heir is actually in suren's perspective, which over time i grew to like as she is a character that we didn't know much about in the cruel prince trilogy. surprisingly, this second book is in oak's pov, and not only that it switches to third person. this choice was so confusing to me as a reader: we spend all this time in one character's head and then we don't even get to read her thoughts throughout the last book? i wish this book, or both books, had been a dual pov. this choice added to the overall feeling of detachment i had reading this book. suren comes off as a totally different character now that you don't hear her thoughts. she is cast aside as a supporting role and doesn't really have much presence in this book. 

the book itself doesn't have much presence either. leaving the court of teeth and returning to elfhame was a good choice, though. i was swept back into the gilded world of court intrigue, shifting alliances and buried secrets, and it also helped showcase oak's character. now that we're in his pov, he's less of the golden trickster prince and more human, more unsure of his footing and his feelings. i loved the return of jude and cardan and everyone else from the original series, and it was interesting to see them in oak's eyes and see how he fit into this family. 

the ending was kinda...dull? it was so slow at the beginning, then picked up the pace in the middle, but the last chapter ended on a discordant note, i think. it made me realise how little oak and suren have actually developed their relationship, their conversations quite stagnant and strained throughout the book, although i do like how suren helps oak realise things about himself. i think their reunion at the end felt kinda rushed, and left so many questions unanswered. there's hints of a possible judecardan book or novella from the plot point that was suggested in this duology then never really acknowledged. or at least i'm hoping for one.