So first of all...all the mention of Vlad the Impaler? What a let down. Sure the fathers name was Vlad. We saw two (maybe it was three?) people being tortured, but it wasn't graphic at all. It wasn't the least bit "scary" or "thrilling."

Things I liked about this book (in order):
#1- The cover
#2- A handful of quotes/passages (at the bottom of this review)
#3- ONE particular scene...

Now onto my negative thoughts...

I was so excited for this book.... but this was a total miss for me. I think giving it two stars is being generous. I wanted to like it so badly that I read the first 80 pages, stopped, read a different book, and then restarted this one. I thought it was going better the second time around, but no. This one threatened to put me into a slump but I was determined to finish it in hopes that it would pull me in. It didn't. I should have added it to my DNF list.

I felt like we could have used some more backstory to better understand the setting and time. It felt to me, that I was dropped into a second book in a series, though this was the first...

I didn't care for any of the characters. In fact, I found most of them to be either incredibly selfish to the point of annoyance or underdeveloped so they didn't even seem like the same characters at times. Obviously they all went through a lot and changed over time, but they seemed to be strong one second and too childlike the next and it just didn't work for me.

I felt that the storyline dragged on and didn't hold my interest at all. The overall flow also kept throwing me for a loop and I was confused about how much time had passed and what was happening, especially with the varying POV's and how they overlapped from time to time.

I also caught on to a lot of repetition and got really annoyed. Especially when it came to the love interests...

There was one scene that I found really interesting, but it was only a couple pages long.

The cover is absolutely stunning. By far my favorite part of the book :(

I would not recommend this book to friends.

There were a few lines/passages I did like, however:
“If Lada was the spiky green weed that sprouted in the midst of a drought-cracked riverbed, Radu was the delicate, sweet rose that wilted in anything less than the perfect conditions.”

"Lada's eyes burned with a look the nurse had come to dread. That look meant injury, destruction, or fire. Often all three."

"There are other ways to beat someone than with fists."

"They trust a smile more than a promise that you will leave them choking on their own blood."
Lada snorted. "Yes, but my promise is more sincere than your smiles."
She was right, of course.

Radu looked over his shoulder at his responsibilities. He did not want to misbehave, or draw attention, or do anything that would bring punishment down on his head.
But it was simply too hot for worry.