After reading The Final Strife i wasn't a huge fan of this author but since I quite liked the writing style more than the story, i thought I would give her another go. The blurb was interesting enough and of course who doesn't want some Black fae. Can i get an amen!

The premise of this is that an elf is forced into exile and stumbles upon some fae who are believed to have been extinct for thousands of years. Where I had trouble with this is that from the offset there were no real stakes. Yeeran the elf (yes there are elves in this book as well as fae and human but don’t ask me how they differ other than elongated canines) is sent into exile for reasons but within the span of what feels like five minutes, her sister finds her to help her and she’s derived a plan that will allow her to return from exile. If it’s so easy to get back in then why is it ever considered a punishment?

The entire book is full of this weak lines of plot and lack of stakes since everything is so perfectly resolved. At no point was i in fear for any of the characters or wondering what they would do next. It was all very predictable and frankly very immature considering the characters range from their late 20s to early 40s. While the writing made this an easy read thankfully, there was a lot to be desired by way of action, stakes, romance or drama.

The best part of the whole thing were the animal side kicks who were really sweet.

The smut while okay was also highly unnecessary. It felt rushed and forced with both scenes appearing in quick succession as though the author wanted to get it out the way.

In a word, this book felt very childish and I was disappointed because i feel like the author is capable of so much more. It feels like she wrote to trend to meet a quota but that her heart wasnt actually in the content.

The best thing about the whole book was the diversity and inclusion. There are a ton of Queer and Gender Neutral characters which was very inclusive and positive.