My curse has struck again. Another hyped series, another unpopular opinion.

What let this story down was the hyperfocus of the romantic drama. If I had cared more about Britta and her love life, maybe this would not have been so disappointing. But I didn’t care. At all. I wanted more about the politics of the world; seeing these two kingdoms trying to combat systemic discrimination. I was definitely not here for yet another unnecessary love triangle. I was not here for the angst or the repetitive cliches. I still cannot believe that there was an honest to god ‘cuddling naked for warmth when the other LI walks in’ scene. I have read that scenario so many times before and I’m completely over it. It was the fact that those sort of scenes took preference over the scenes detailing the actual rebellion and kidnapping mystery - the supposed focal point of the plot - which made it so difficult to push through to the end. The fact that the entire last quarter of the book rushed through all of the important scenes and, instead, focused on concluding the love triangle was the final straw.

I did like that the story was told in multiple perspectives. I wish that I had been more invested in the characters themselves though. Britta and Cohen irritated the heck out of me in particular. They were jealous and petty, constantly riling each other with the same dumb jumping to conclusion nonsense they did in the first book. I was excited to see more of Aodren but again, we focused more on his growing relationship with Britta than his duties as the king which was not what I hoped for.

Overall? This series had potential. If more of a focus had been placed on the politics of the brewing war or the rebellion against Chaneller discrimination, I would have been onboard. The romantic drama, particularly the love triangle angst, was not my cup of tea and truly soured my experience. I struggled to get invested in this story or the characters and I am just glad that the series is finished. I am not sure what made this series so hyped but I’d much rather recommend The Wish Granter or Frostblood if you want romance-heavy YA fantasy with some politics that is well-written and engaging.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.