I was provided an e-ARC of this novel through the author’s discord. Please check out the author’s instagram page for more information on how to best access this series. This review will contain my honest thoughts on the novel, and was in no way influenced by current events with the author or publisher.

I have been following Whitney Dean for a while on social media, and as with any other book enthusiast, I kept adding more books to my tbr list on Goodreads. However when the opportunity came up to get an e-ARC of this series I jumped. I was just finishing another fantasy novel that left me longing for more angst, world building, fiery characters, and political intrigue. The timing was too good to pass up.

The opening scene of this novel is one of my favorites. I found myself thinking back to this introduction of our characters, and their home, more and more as secrets were revealed later in the story. I connected so quickly to Dean’s writing, world building, and her characters that it felt like I’d known them all along.

We meet Raven, who was thrown into her queendom by a king she never knew, and discover that she hasn’t shed her innate sense of relatability. While she may have duties pertaining to a queen, she still enjoys the primal pleasures of any commoner (which include but are not limited to drinking while disguised at the local bar, hooking up with strangers, and blending in with the crowd).

It was also clear from the first introduction that there is a tight, but complicated, bond between Raven and her advisor Cade. This relationship begins to spiral when visitors from a neighboring land arrive unannounced, with their focus solely on Raven.

I cannot adequately explain how connected I felt to Raven. I could so clearly feel her desire for Zeke, and her conflicted feelings for Cade. I could understand her internal struggle with her power, as she attempted to master her dark secret. I could also understand, as the story progressed, her willingness to allow those closest to her to hurt her, during the times when she seemed to forget her own agency.

This story made me reflect a lot on the growth I’ve had as a person, and as a reader. If I had read this story when I was in college I would loath Raven. I would hate her choices, and despise the progression of the story. Instead I felt compassion for her situation, empathy as she struggled, and a yearning for her to stand on her own. While I might not make the same choices as Raven in my real life, I could logically and emotionally see how she ended up in this tangled web of heartache, and was making questionable choices to soothe her wounds.

The most powerful part of this story is the emotional connection between the characters, and their physical responses to one another. This story thrives off of love, lust, and power dynamics. We had little teasers, alluding to the true darkness hidden deep within Raven, and I genuinely wanted more than just a glimpse of her thirst for blood. This story was so character driven that the plot sometimes felt submerged under the emotional weight of the characters actions.

Throughout the novel Raven is struggling to untangle her feelings for Cade and Zeke, while also coming to terms with her power, who she is in the world, and where she came from. As the reader we oscillate between Raven’s point of view, and Zeke’s, which means we know more about Raven’s past and Zeke’s motivations.

The only time I felt disconnected from Raven was during the last few chapters when some of the bigger secrets were finally uncovered. I tried so hard to put myself in Raven’s position, and understand her reactions, but my foreknowledge as the reader kept getting in the way. Her reactions felt overdramatic, and even like they were intentionally made to fit the plot instead of aligning authentically to her character.

While this story does have elements of magic, murder, and a tiny hint of political discourse, it is mainly a study of relationships between characters. While this novel could be triggering for some readers (there are full trigger warnings on the author’s website), I also think that, depending on Raven’s actions in the next two novels, this could eventually lead to healing. I’m very interested to see what choices Raven will make in books two and three. I’m looking forward to seeing who she becomes next.