I really enjoyed this book and am so glad I was able to check it out! Jillian Boehme did a fantastic job of building out the characters and the world they inhabit. I loved the idea of these two characters, Mara and Alac being drawn to each other but also the conflict of being on different sides of the fight...technically.

Mara is strong and smart and loyal. She's also willing to do whatever she needs to in order to protect not only those she loves, but also those she is responsible for. As someone who has magic, she knows she can do so much for the people of the kingdom and she's willing to do everything she can to help.

All of that said, I liked Alac too. As the second son of the King, he feels he doesn't really have a place in the kingdom and at this point in his life, he's fine with that as he'd prefer to have a vinyard. He also doesn't trust the magic his father wields so if he can get away from it and the possibility that he may have to let it inside himself someday, he's all for it.

Long story short, Mara is tapped to help a noble and his followers to overthrow the current King and eliminate him along with his sons. With a bit of blackmail/threatening, Mara joins the insurrection but as she gets to know Alac, she realizes she can't hurt him. Unfortunately, things go slightly awry and the dark magic the king held is released and starts to hurt and destroy the kingdom and it's people.

I won't say much more here as I don't want to ruin the story for anyone. If you're looking for a page turning YA Fantasy, check this one out. I'll definitely be reading more from Boehme when I can!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!