Wow, what is this? Am I seriously all caught up with a book series, just waiting for the next book to come out? No idea what this sorcery is, but I'll take it! :D

Anyway, I have lots of mixed emotions about this fantasy romance. On one hand, I loved both Marek and Sei, and the relationship between them ends up so fluffy and nice... on the surface. On the other hand, the story is goddamn dark. In this book, we finally get to explore the Grails, the not-quite-magic who can serve as sources of magical energy to other magic users and often suffer for it. Especially in Draskora where this part of the series takes place.

Sei is a Graal. He grew up in the neighboring country in Fellrin, where the Grails are supposedly treated with a lot more respect and care. The shape this increased care takes? Well, there's that school called Porcelain Guild where Sei grew up, spending his entire time in preparation to be claimed by a mage. By the time he's sent to get married to a Draskoran prince, he's very healthy, very nice-looking, quite educated, has never tried alcohol, ridden a horse, added extra sugar to his tea, and he believes that he needs to ask permission for literally everything, such as opening a window in a carriage on a hot day. He is also very sociable and quick to make friends everywhere he goes—in a way that immediately brings the fawn trauma response to mind. For the first half of the book, his chapters do a stellar job of conveying the quiet, unacknowledged horror of his situation, and then when he eventually snaps and demands to be seen and acknowledged as his own person, it's very satisfying.

Marek, for his part, is initially horrified by Sei's backstory, something that's definitely amplified by his experience of living in Draskora and witnessing the common treatment of Grails there. He also assumes that Sei is just as against their Crown-sanctioned betrothal as he is, if not more, because surely a person must be against getting bound to someone who's expected to use them as a human battery with potentially deadly consequences. That creates a lot of misunderstandings between them that, while painful to witness, are completely understandable. Marek ends up messing up a lot by doing the very thing he wants to avoid—dictating Sei's life and expecting obedience without explanation—because he assumes they're on the same page and doesn't understand the effect Sei's past has on him. He's also grappling with his own role at court now that his adopted brother has deserted and the assorted struggles that come with it. Unlike Vana, who spent a bit part of the previous book quietly giving up and letting Draskora swallow him down, Marek is very much doing his best to maintain some integrity, and whenever he notices himself playing by the corrupt court rules, he at the very least acknowledges it and calls himself out. Frankly, he's quite possibly my favorite protagonist in the Perilous Courts series right now!

But, well, the second half of the book... Without going too far into spoiler theory, let's just say, a lot of this complex emotional build-up from the first half isn't followed through. We learn that being/using a Grail is okay actually, as long as you follow the safety rules and actually care for each other. Which, great! Makes sense! If Grails are a natural part of this world's magic system, it makes sense that there's a way for them and ordinary mages to have productive magical interactions that don't hurt anyone. Except the way it's framed, it's like the Porcelain Guild is actually right for operating that way. Like, yeah, Sei didn't choose to be treated as a valuable object all his life to date, but Marek also didn't choose to bond with a dragon and get adopted by a king, so it's all fine, right? And all of Sei's trauma is never openly acknowledged as such and in fact largely disappears as soon as he and Marek start confessing feelings and having sex. That was a huge letdown for me, because like... here was this complicated, tangled situation full of hurt, and I was fully prepared for the comfort part of the book to be just as in-depth and sorrow, but instead, true love swiftly cured everything, and what wasn't cured got normalized. UGH. Book, why??? We could have had it all! *cue that Adele song playing softly in the background*

With all my feelings about the romance part out of the way, I want to say that I was really satisfied with the external plot here. The previous book was sort of all meandering set-up; even though its protagonist Vana was a lot more embroiled in the palace life than Marek, it felt like he was merely observing and going through the motions, whereas Marek, despite his semi-outsider position, is a lot more invested in what's going. All those messy plot threads from the previous book get pulled together neatly enough here, ending on a semi-cliffhanger with a promise of an exciting resolution in the next installment, which I now absolutely can't wait for. I want to know what's going to happen with the impending war, and with all the so far unsolved mysteries, and also, what game is Kazia playing? What's his deal? Because that one stunt he pulled at the formal dinner, and his reaction to Marek mentioning it, like... I just want to get into his head and maybe hug him and help him murder everyone who's ever hurt him. Next book. Next book.

I also appreciated that here Tavia Lark once again leans heavily into including all the telepathic magical beasts into the plot. Loska is the very best dragon and among the most entertaining characters in the entire series. I loved his dry wit and his entire personality. It was also nice to have so much Osrick the fellcat here. Of course, I enjoyed the inclusion of a couple of characters from the first part of the series, and I continue to love how inclusive the setting is, with so many queer and in particular trans characters popping up and never a single big deal being made. 

Now... Why isn't it February, 29 yet? I want that Kazia book!