Ahhhh this book. I could not wait to get my hands on this book after finishing ASOWAR. My reread took a while because work, and even this book took a bit for me to get through (also because of work), but overall I flew through it. It's fast-paced, intense, and a lot darker than I was expecting, but just SO GOOD. 

I don't think I can write as lovely as a review this time around like I did for ASOWAR, but this book lived up to my expectations and then some. The one thing I want to talk about though is Malik. My precious anxious boi, is still anxious and traumatized and this is handled incredibly.

Farid. I hate him. He can choke, but boy did this guy scare the hell out of me. He is so manipulative and good at what he does, it's actually very creepy to read from an outside perspective. But Malik's reactions, his behaviours, his thought-process made complete sense for someone who has been abused for most of his life, has severe anxiety, and lack of confidence. I saw so much of myself in Malik that it hurt. I understood why he did what he did, and the justifications he used to convince himself why everything was okay and he was only doing what was best for everyone. The torture scenes were so difficult to read though, and watching Malik justify that he deserved all of that and Farid was just teaching him a lesson because he failed made me even angrier at Farid. Also seeing how Malik hurts Nadia and Leila though was the hardest part, and I really wish we got to see that resolution in more detail.

Malik's relationship with Idir though was actually kind of nice. It progressed well from them hating and fighting each other, to a more disgruntled alliance, to them finally working together. It was interesting to get to learn more about Bahia Alahari and Khenu and what actually happened versus what was passed down through generations. 

I love the lore and history of this world so much, and we got to see even more as Karina and her companions travel through Sonande. It sort of reminded me of Percy Jackson, especially that one scene with Maame Small Claws.

If Malik and his anxiety and trauma were attacking me from one side, Karina and her need to push people away was not far behind. It's just so sad seeing how the tiniest of things can affect someone and all the decisions they make. Karina had some of the best lines in this book, especially against Farid. She felt like a Queen this entire book, and I loved seeing her come into her own and take on the role willingly.

The one complaint I do have is something that didn't make sense to me and felt like a plot hole? The entire time Malik knows Farid used the Rite of Resurrection to bring back Hanane. He also knew the ritual required the heart of a king. He saw Tunde's body with the missing heart. And yet not until the end of the book does he figure out (by Karina telling him) that Farid had killed Tunde all along. It just didn't make sense to me how he had all of these clues right in his face and yet he still couldn't put two and two together. I don't know if this can be explained using Farid's manipulation and gaslighting tactics, or if Malik's brain was refusing to connect the dots or what, but it just didn't make much sense to me.

Other than that, I literally did a double take when Karina forgot to take her contraception drink thing at the end there because lol of course sdjfhskdfh

Overall, I really did enjoy the conclusion to this series. 4/5 stars!