4.5 stars
I… do not know how to review this book. I feel like I shouldn’t have liked it… but I really, really did!
I am pretty particular on the types of books I enjoy. For a fantasy to work for me, it has to be pretty fast-paced and have a distinct, driven plot. This book was slooooow and I’m not sure there was a super cohesive plot, at least not one that I can distinctly pinpoint. And yet I was so invested in this book. It took me a while to read, compared to how long a book this length usually would, <i>but</i> I was never bored. I always wanted to keep reading.
The romance, similarly, felt like it shouldn’t work, but it did. I felt like there shouldn’t have been enough time and on page interactions between the characters to make their emotions convincing and natural, and yet I was fully convinced. I was so swept up in their banter, swooning right alongside Iris when the vibes between them turned romantic.
I honestly can’t pinpoint what it is that made this book work for me—because based on my usual tastes, it shouldn’t have—but I think it must have been something about the writing. The narration was a little flowery, but in a way I found beautiful to read, not purple. I also think that Rebecca Ross is a master of emotions. The emotions in this book captivated me. I felt everything that Iris and Roman felt, and I think that was the driving force in this book, what kept me engaged. That’s not to say this is an overly emotional book. It’s not traumatizing to the reader; it never felt like events were happening just to evoke emotions in you. This book takes place during a war, so of course hard things happen, the characters undergo trauma and experience heartwrenching things, but it always felt true to the story and the world, and it always felt like it was handled tastefully, not exploited.
This book was just really good. I want to read more by Ross, and I’m kind of heartbroken that I have to wait an entire year to read more about Iris and Roman.