Probably another one of the best books I've read this year. The story follows Kestral, a Valorian of high status and what happens after she buys a male slave. The story does an amazing job at world building as well as developing the romance within the story gradually. There are lots of politics at play and the author makes it a point to show that Kestral is very intelligent and knows how to manage political strategies super well. A skill that unfortunately goes underappreciated for quite a bit. The story also addresses the circumstances of privilege for the ruling people in this world that has come about from the colonization and oppression of the Herrani by the Valorians. It was also refreshing to see a world where the members of the ruling class were considered the "savages" for once, and not the other way around. I feel like it's appropriate to say that there is a sexual assault that goes on in the book, so if that triggers you, I'd keep that in mind. It's nothing graphic or anything, but I'll mention it just in case. 

From the beginning of the book, Arin was definitely my favorite character. He was super straightforward and sharp tongued, which was super ballsy on his part considering he was in the position of a slave. Kestral obviously isn't a bad person, but I definitely think she needed someone like Arin to come into her life to have her check her position of privilege. She's grown up with slaves serving her all her life and you can tell that she doesn't completely understand that they're very much trapped in the position they are in. She obviously has good intentions, as in the story it is revealed that she freed a slave thinking she was doing them a favor. However, she failed to realize that the slave she freed didn't have the skills to live off on their own despite their newfound freedom. She argues a lot with Arin and they disagree on a lot of things throughout the book, but I think that made their relationship that much more organic. I see a lot of obstacles ahead for these two, but I'm all for the angst, so I'm ready to see what goes on. The ending to this book was great I think because it left me thirsting for more, which is always what I want in a book series. I highly recommend this book if you want a setting that addresses real world themes like colonization, oppression, and slavery, and also has very well developed and intelligent characters.