(I'm still so obsessed with this cover. It's probably one of my all-time favourites and it really captures this book so well. I can't wait to take pictures of it soon!)

Thank you so much to Raincoast for sending me an arc of Dark and Deepest Red! I will admit, I ended up deciding on this one because of the cover and the praises I had already seen around Twitter and Instagram.

The book definitely lives up to the hype in a lot of ways. I actually didn't know much about the plot going in, except it had something to do with dancing (??), but the second I picked it up it really drew me in because of a history class I took in university where we touched on the dancing fevers. The idea of this occurring in the past seems almost fairytale-esque and hard to believe, and the book does touch on that a little. I really liked how the author took what we know from history and put a little twist to it. As they say in the afterward, no Romani was actually accused of causing the dancing fever, but I did like how they incorporated that into the story. I honestly didn't know much about the Romani besides the little that I have seen here or there, so I actually really liked learning more about their culture and way of life.

The book follows two timelines. One set in Strasbourg in 1518, which follows Lala, her aunt Dorenia, and a boy named Alifair. And the second timeline is set five centuries later, and follows Rosella and Emil. I really liked the different perspectives and seeing how both the past and present timelines converged together. The chapters are pretty short, yet the transition between the timelines and POVs didn't feel jarring. Usually first person POVs aren't my thing, but I actually really liked it and found each character's voice to be quite distinct.

The only issue I had was with the writing. It did start off really well. I liked the imagery and the descriptions, but after a while I started getting a little confused, like I couldn't exactly picture what was being said and had to reread paragraphs a couple times. It did make the story not flow as well. There were a lot metaphors used to describe colours, and just colour in general was mentioned a lot, and it was a bit overwhelming trying to imagine everything in my head.

I really love the story this book told of persecution and hiding one's true self in order to feel accepted. It was something that really resonated with me and I can see resonating with a lot of people. It was wonderful to see the journeys each character went on, realizing that by withholding their past and their culture and faith, they were in turn hurting themselves.

The relationships in this book were quite well done. Usually I'm picky when it comes to romance, but for this one it fit well with the story and I didn't mind it. Emil and Rosella were quite cute and I really liked seeing how interested Emil is in chemistry and how his interest in colour really ties back with this past. I loved seeing the parts of Rosella's life that involved making her family's famous shoes. There was something so magical and entrancing about it, and made this book really feel like a fairytale at times. And then we have Lala and Alifair. I did really like the representation we got here, especially later on near the end. The ending was so perfect and tied up the whole story really well.

Overall, 3.5/5 stars!

4.5/5 stars

I finished this gem while on the bus this morning. Actually, I almost had a heart attack near the end there and sat with my mouth hanging open. I think the 6am bus commuters are slightly concerned at this point lol

I gushed about this book on Twitter and Instagram when I first started reading earlier this month, and I'm happy to say that it was a beautiful, mesmerizing story. This book is about love. And it captures your attention just like Hephaestus' trap for Aphrodite and Ares in the beginning of the book. And if you're like me, and not a fan of romance or love stories, you may start off like Ares–annoyed, impatient, only caring about war–but you'll eventually be swept away by the characters and their relationships with each other.

The beginning of this book was what immediately had me screaming "YES THIS IS GONNA BE EPIC!" The writing felt very reminiscent of Greek and Latin literature. This probably had to do with the fact that this book is narrated mostly through Aphrodite's perspective, with a few glimpses of other gods, like Ares, Apollo, and Hades. There's an omniscient presence throughout the entire book. The narrators know the story and what is going to happen, and they relish in the storytelling process. The relationship between the gods also reminded me a lot of the Percy Jackson books. I was actually cackling out loud at some of the lines cause they fit so perfectly with each god's characteristics.

The present setting takes place during WW2, where Hephaestus catches Aphrodite and Ares together and decides to hold court to prove that Aphrodite is guilty of infidelity. Aphrodite presents her evidence in the form of a story. That story transports the gods back to WW1 and follows the lives of four young men and women who find love amidst a war-torn land.

The first quarter of this book mostly focused on Hazel and James. And I literally loved every second of it! I wasn't expecting to squeal so much over two young people falling in love, but it happened. It was so cute, and while the relationship progressed fast, it fit well with the story and the urgency that comes with going off to fight a war.

Then we suddenly get new perspectives. We find out about Colette's story and then we're immediately introduced to Aubrey. I loved Aubrey with all my heart. He's charming and funny, and his story really brought awareness to the issues African Americans faced during WW1. I was not expecting to learn about this at all. I had assumed this would just follow Hazel and James and their love story, but Aubrey's POV really made this book everything.

(I should add that there should be trigger warnings for sexual assault, racism, racial slurs, and violence/murder.)

I don't want to say too much because spoilers, but this book was absolutely incredible. The beginning was a pretty fast-paced read, but it slowed down towards the middle as we got to know the characters better. I loved the scenes where Aubrey is playing the piano and Colette is singing along. Aubrey coming up with new songs to suit Colette's voice and watching as they both slowly fall in love. I loved seeing Hazel and Colette's friendship and how they raised each other up when the other needed it the most. James training to survive in the trenches was actually really interesting to read about since I didn't know much about battles in WW1.

But I think what hit me the most was the emotions I felt while reading this book. I almost cried so many times. The story is heartbreaking and painful, and it can also be frustrating, especially Aubrey's POVs where he highlights how hard it is being African American. It made me realize how lucky we are to not have gone through a huge war like WW1 and WW2.

You could tell just by reading how much time and effort went into writing this book. The historical notes at the back really gave a glimpse of the research Julie Berry put in, especially when it came to talking about what it was like for African American soldiers fighting in the war. I didn't realize there were actual accounts from during that time period, and it makes me want to read up on it more.

Overall, I highly, highly recommend this book. I wasn't expecting to love it so much and now I want to read all of Julie Berry's books! If you're not that into romance or love stories, then I'm here to convince you that if this book could thaw my frozen heart, you'll be nothing but a puddle by the end of this!

This book was surprising, eye-opening, and painful to read. Thank you so much to PenguinTeen Canada for sending me an arc and to the author, K. R. Gaddy, for doing the research necessary to write this incredible story.

I didn't realize this was non-fiction until I actually received the arc and opened to the first page. And then I checked the back and saw a bunch of sources that the author used/referred to while writing this book. I haven't read non-fiction in a while, but this made me really excited. I prefer non-fiction books that are written in a narrative format because not only is it a lot easier to get into, but it tricks my mind into thinking I'm reading fiction. This book did that really well, and because of that I think it would appeal not only to younger readers, but also to older ones. I'd love to see this book as part of the curriculum in university history courses especially.

I had never heard of the Edelweiss Pirates before this book. I had heard of German resistance, but the only other book I read that had mentioned it was The Women in the Castle. I definitely think this is something that should be taught in history classes because it's incredible how young these kids were and what they did to resist Nazi rule. It's inspiring and heartbreaking seeing what these kids went through, the risk they took, the torture and abuse they underwent, all in order to stick to their ideals, whether they were politically or morally inclined.

I liked following all three character perspectives. Gertrude's was probably my favourite because it was interesting to see how many girls were actually involved in the resistance. In The Women in the Castle, it was mostly the husbands of all these women who were part of the assassination attempt on Hitler's life, so I always wondered how many women were involved or wanted to be involved.

I did find Jean and Fitz's povs a little confusing. Sometimes I would forget what happened to which of the two boys because a lot of what they went through was kind of similar, and in some parts their stories overlapped a bit, even though neither of the characters actually met during the war.

There is quite a huge cast of characters and a lot of them go by code names too, so it was a little difficult to keep track. But I don't think it totally detracted from the story itself.

What I really liked about this book was the inclusion of letters and reports and news articles. We saw reports from the Gestapo, the SS, and the Hitler Youth, as well as confession papers and execution notices. There were also lots of pictures of the actual main characters with other members of the Edelweiss pirates and similar groups. I really enjoyed the snapshots we got of their lives before the war really got worse. Seeing them hiking and camping, playing the guitar, singing songs, and just having fun, makes you realize how young these kids were and how they just wanted to enjoy life. But as the story progresses, the pictures got darker and more disturbing and hard to look at. The story itself too became a lot darker. There were arrests and interrogations in the beginning of this book, but in most cases, the main characters were released quite soon after. But by the end, they're being interrogated and beaten and starved for days at a time, and it's a never-ending cycle. It was quite difficult to read and some of the pictures were a little disturbing. This is just a trigger warning for anyone who picks this up later.

Overall, a really great book. Highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about an aspect of WWII history that was probably not covered in school.

I did really like the concept behind this story. The whole history of how the wajinru came to be was very interesting and unique. My favourite parts were the memories and “Rememberings” we see of the past. The only problem I had was that the ending was kind of wrapped up super quickly and easily, to the point where it wasn’t believable? The whole part where Yetu passes on the memory of breathing in the womb to Oori and then she suddenly can breathe underwater and join Yetu in her world, just fell flat. Overall, a pretty decent and quick read, but I think it was a little overhyped.

My first book by Samantha Shannon and I was not disappointed.

I want to keep this review short because this book is long and I think I could go on and on forever otherwise. But I really, really enjoyed it. The world is so rich and diverse and detailed. I could spend hours getting lost in the history and culture and mythology. You can really see how much research and work went into building up this book and it's super impressive.

I also loved the writing style. There's just something about being able to pick up where you left off and easily slip back into the story. The writing had a nice flow and it was actually easy and quick to read. I find some longer books have me stopping every little bit and rereading because I'm confused with the prose or the descriptions are so dense I forget what is actually happening in the scene. This book wasn't like that at all, and it makes me look forward to reading more of Samantha Shannon's books.

My favourite POVs have to be Ead, Loth, and Tané (in that order), with Niclays last lol. I really didn't like Niclays a whole lot. He was annoying and frustrating and quite selfish and single-minded. And while it makes sense why he is the way he is, and we also see how Tané isn't quite innocent, I just felt for her character more than I did Niclays. Maybe because I expected more from an older, experienced adult than from a twenty-year old, even though now that I'm writing this out, I realize that adults aren't perfect either. I just wasn't a huge fan of his chapters and tried to get through them quickly so I could get to the others.

I absolutely love Loth so much. I headcanon him as aroace. He's just so kind and thoughtful and loyal. He's a soft boi and he's my soft boi and I just want him to be happy and healthy.

Tané's POVs were amazing. I loved the character growth she went through and her story made me feel the most out of the others.

Ead's chapters were also ones that I anticipated getting to. They're so intense and fast-paced and she's such a strong, resilient character. The glimpses of court politics and just life in Inys were so interesting. I think they were my favourite parts of the whole book.

I really hope we get more from this world because I want to know what happens next, not just with Ead, but with the other characters too. We do have some unanswered questions at the end there which has me very curious.

The plot itself was a whirlwind. I loved the slow-paced style, watching everything unfold gradually, and different storylines coming together. There were so many moments when I was shocked and just sitting in bed with my mouth hanging open. I will admit though that the end felt a little rushed. I did see Samantha Shannon's Twitter thread about this and while I get the reasoning behind it, it was a little jarring going from a more sedate pace, to suddenly everything is happening very quickly. It almost felt like we were being told what was happening, instead of being shown. Ead would come up with a plan, and the next chapter they would carry it out right away. Whereas things before were more gradual. And it isn't like things were necessarily happening quicker, it's just that we weren't shown the in-between steps. And I kind of missed those moments.

I don't think the faster pacing at the end detracted from the book entirely. While the final battle scene happening super fast (and I will admit I was kind of confused about which ship was where and who it belonged to and which ones were destroyed or burning and trying to keep track of which characters are on which ship), the conclusion was satisfying overall. I really liked how we got a few chapters at the end from each POV. It was nice to get to see the characters moving on after what happened and seeing where life would lead them next.

Overall 4/5 stars.

I guess I don't have a review up for this one lol

Good start to the series. Alanna isn't my favourite of Tammy's books, but it was nice to see the whole gang again, especially Raoul and Gary. Alanna is such a likeable, strong character and I loved seeing her interactions with everyone, especially George. I will admit that I spent a lot of this book comparing it to The Pureblood Pretense and seeing what an incredible job Violet has done with her fanfic.

Excited to continue the series, even though book three is probably my least favourite of all of Tammy's books.

okay, I guess I really sucked at writing reviews for these books when I reread them a couple years ago.

This book was definitely more intense and fast-paced. I felt like a lot more happened compared to the first book, and I actually really enjoyed the duels and battle scenes we got. Tammy has a way of writing action that makes it easy to picture in your head and entertaining and engaging to read.

My only complaint, like most people, are the time jumps. It's just confusing to keep track of everything since we're really only told time is passing through seasons, and after a while all the seasons start to blend together and you forget how old Alanna is. I really wish we could have gotten clearer chapter headings that stated what year Alanna was in as a squire, and also the season. It would have made it a whole lot easier to keep track of events in my head.

This series really does read as spoken narrative. There are parts where things are summarized so quickly or brushed over and it's almost kind of funny. The Battle of the River Drell sort of just ends in one paragraph and I actually laughed when I read it because it was over so quick.

We start to see the more toxic side of Jon in this one. He's just so controlling and moody and jealous. He pushes Alanna to go to parties, and then gets mad when she talks to Raoul or Gary or when she dances with other women (which he makes her do in the first place). And he's also so possessive, saying how they belong together and how she's his.

Alanna definitely seems very confused in this book about what she wants relationship-wise. She doesn't want to fall in love, yet everyone sort of pushes her towards it, until she ends up trying it out. It's really hard to say if she actually wanted any of this, and how much is natural desire/curiosity versus actual attraction. I'd say there's an argument for Alanna being aromantic even. It goes to show how much things haven't really changed since this book was published. The push for romance and for characters ending up in a relationship is still there, though we do get to see Alanna go off to find an adventure in the end, putting her career as a priority over everything else.

I'll admit, not super excited to read the next book, but I'm on a roll and we're going to finish this series so we can get to the others

The Writing

I did read the arc version, so while the format wasn’t that great, I was completely taken with the writing style.

I’ll admit, at first I found the use of Hindi words in the actual dialogue and narrative to be a bit jarring and weird. But then it hit me the reason why. It just felt so real. They were words I understood, words that I’ve used myself, words I’ve heard my mom use a lot at home (how many times has she called my brother a goonda lol). It felt like home. And I hadn’t expected to feel that way.

The writing style is also pretty unique. The book reads like a middle-grade book. Our main character Jai, is nine years old, and unlike a lot of middle-grade books I’ve read, where the main character’s dialogue and inner monologue are written in a way where you would think the character is much older than they actually are, this book doesn’t do that. It captures Jai’s naivety and innocence and confusion so well, that I had to stop in the middle of reading and think “Wow, I’ve never seen a book written this way, but it’s perfect and realistic and how books should be written.”

Considering the writing style, the Hindi phrases and words used made complete sense and really fit with the main character. I laughed out loud so many times, especially the scene where Jai says “Papa, ma is doing drama-baazi again.”

If you’re reading this review and are Indian or Pakistani, or just know Hindi, you will love this book, I promise! The lighter moments are just so heartwarming, and the descriptions of food and chai are mouthwatering, and just the culture and day-to-day aspects of life are things we’ve either experienced or heard stories from our parents and grandparents.

Culture and Religious Commentary

I wanted to talk about this for a bit because it was really well done and it just fits so well with what is currently happening in India right now.

The basti that Jai lives in is predominantly Hindu (though Jai’s friend Faiz, a Muslim, does live there too), but the Bhoot Bazaar and surrounding area have a lot of Muslims. Seeing the tensions between the two escalate as the story unfolds was difficult to read about, but also felt so real and current.

I loved the way Deepa did this. We get to see how stories travel, and how they’re changed and embellished as they’re passed from person to person. How gossip and rumours take what was originally the truth and turn it into something dark and ugly.

We see this done really well when another girl from the nearby area disappears. People start saying that Chandni was a prostitute and worked at a brothel and that she fell in love with some old Muslim man, or that she was working at a brothel because her father was awful and of course she disappeared and was dead because what would you expect from someone like that, and on and on. Her story, her life, was twisted because of people who either didn’t know better or just came up with their own conclusions. When we actually get to read from Chandni’s POV, we realize how different things were. But because of that rumour that was started, many Hindus started blaming Muslims, saying one of them had taken Chandni, and that they must also be behind the other kidnappings. It let to attacks and arrests. Muslims were scared to leave their homes for work and school. Many of the basti parents didn’t want their children interacting with Muslims. There were retaliations and the blame just went around and around. Even when two Muslim children disappeared, it was assumed that whichever Muslim who had kidnapped the others, must have kidnapped one of their own to curb suspicions. Muslims also became wary around the Hindus and at the end of the book we see many Muslim families who lived in Jai’s basti, moving to a Muslim one where they felt safer.

I found the cultural aspects to be especially well done too.

Life is hard for these kids. They live mostly in poverty, with not a lot of food, no running water. Their home life is awful. Many girls stay at home instead of going to school to take care of their younger brothers and sisters. Those who do go don’t have access to quality education. Many kids have to skip class in order to help out their family when times are difficult. A lot of kids work after school or on the weekends. And then you have the abuse that many of these kids face at home, the awareness that life isn’t like this for everyone, and the longing that maybe they could get out of this situation and become something more. We see in these POVs how badly these kids want better lives. Bahadur doesn’t want to have to sleep on the streets when his mom works late because he’s scared of his alcoholic father. Omvir doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life pressing clothes like his father. Chandni wants to learn English and get a better job, and she doesn’t want people to see her only for her beauty. Kabir and Khadifa have their own dreams. And yes, some of these dreams might be childish, like Omvir wanting to become a famous dancer. But they are kids, and you realize by reading their POVs how young and innocent their hopes are, yet they do still hope.

The girls’ POVS really stuck out to me. Chandni getting harassed by men wherever she goes because of how she looks and dresses, the rumours people come up with that she has to endure, the hard work she puts in to better herself. We see Khadifa being scared that if her brother continues acting out and her parents finally notice, she’ll be sent off to her grandparents’ village with her brother and be married off at 14, when all she wants to do is enjoy her childhood and have fun dressing up with her friends. We see another POV where a girl struggles with wanting to pursue her dream, but knowing that no one really supports her and how they’re just waiting for her to finally become like other girls and eventually get married. She hates seeing her body go through changes because she wishes she were a boy and had a lot more freedom. It’s just so sad, but a reality for so many people, especially girls, and it’s not just limited to one religion or culture, it happens to everyone.

Our “Detectiving” Trio

I loved, loved, loved our main trio so much. I definitely got some Harry, Ron and Hermione vibes from them too lol

We have Jai, of course, our main character. His Hindu friend Pari, and his Muslim friend Faiz.

I think my favourite part was their friendship and how they teased each other and helped each other through difficult times. When the other Hindus started blaming Muslims for the kidnappings, Jai and Pari didn’t turn their backs on Faiz, but stuck by his side. Jai even thinks multiple times how it doesn’t make sense that everyone is blaming Muslims for being awful, just like you can’t blame all Hindus if an actual Hindu is kidnapping the children. That moment there made my heart hurt. Children are so innocent and open-minded. They don’t always cling onto prejudices that they see their parents or family or friends preaching. They look at their experiences and judge appropriately.

I absolutely loved Pari. She gave me major Hermione vibes, but less bossy and annoying. She’s so intelligent and sharp, and I adored the moments when Jai was like “That was a good question to ask, why didn’t I come up with that?” or when he goes “Ugh, why is Pari so good and smart, why can’t I be that way?” It made me laugh cause it’s so cute. Pari loves to read and cares so much about school and going further with her education. That’s most of the reason why she reminded me of Hermione, plus her dynamic with the other boys and her constantly fighting with Faiz reminded me of Hermione and Ron fighting all the time. She’s also so friendly and makes friends with everyone, and she’s kind and caring, and tries to do the right thing. She’s all round a loveable character.

The Ending

*THIS MIGHT BE SPOILERY SO BEWARE*

I will say that this book starts off in a lighthearted way. Yes, we see a boy in the basti has disappeared, but as Jai and his friends start looking for clues and “detectiving” (as they call it), there’s this sense of hope I got that eventually they’d find something or someone would be able to solve the mystery and we’d get a relatively happy ending. But as more and more kids disappear, we start to see how Jai and Pari and Faiz aren’t really getting anywhere with this mystery, and it makes sense when you think about it. In reality, you can’t expect a bunch of nine-year-olds to solve something this big and complex. But they’re children and their innocence really shows. The police are useless as we see. The pradhan doesn’t seem to care either, until things get really bad at the end, and even then he’s more self-obsessed than anything. There’s no one to help them, so they take it upon themselves. Jai uses his “knowledge” from watching Police Patrol and other crime shows, Pari uses her intellect, and Faiz joins along on their hunt through the alleys and corners of Bhoot Bazaar.

Seeing how useless the police is really hit me because it’s something I’ve constantly heard from my parents when they talk about Pakistan. Seeing the bribes the parents of the missing kids gave the policemen and nothing come out of it was maddening. No one cared cause these kids are poor, they live in the “slums”, and the upper-class people think they’re a waste of space anyway. So why spend time and money and energy finding them? The police argued that the kids probably ran away as they do and decided to live on the streets but that they’d be back eventually. But months go by and there’s nothing. Everything the police does, all the supposed paperwork etc. takes forever or doesn’t actually occur. It’s frustrating, and this book really showed how messed up the system is.

The last quarter of the book, it really started to hit me where this book was going. The POVs we get of the kidnapped children made me think maybe, maybe, there was hope that they were somewhere safe. The djinn aspect of this book, though not as huge of a role in the story as I was expecting, made me think maybe a friendly djinn was taking care of them. Or that there was an evil djinn and the trio would fight him somehow lol. But in reality these evil djinn are just evil people. When we finally get to see what happened I was shocked and horrified. I was somewhat expecting it, but even after that I still thought that things would be okay, that some of the kids would be found alive and safe. But they aren’t. And that’s the reality. The author states how 180 kids in India disappear everyday due to child-trafficking, slave labour, etc. It’s awful to think about.

The ending was honestly really sad and heartbreaking. We see how certain cycles repeat themselves as Jai’s parents break down in their grief. Even Jai himself feels alone and isolated as his friends move away to a different school and basti. He only has his dog, Samosa, and the voice of his sister following him around. It makes you think and wonder what’ll happen next and if they’ll ever have the answers to their questions, and whether the victims will get the justice they deserve.

One thing that stuck out to me was this quote from Jai:

”I’ll never watch Police Patrol again. When they act out real stories of people getting snatched or killed, it will feel as if someone is trying to strangle me, I just know it. A murder isn’t a story for me anymore; it’s not a mystery either.”

I think this summarizes why I find it so hard to listen to stories of people disappearing and getting killed. Because they are true stories that happened to actual people. The pain that they must have gone through, the nightmares their family must have had during and since, it’s just all so real and it’s hard for me to see what happened as a story, dramatized.

Overall, this book gets 4.5/5 stars from me. Highly, highly recommend. It is a difficult read, but I think it’s quite worth it, and it highlights important issues that are overlooked and we should be aware of.

OKAY. Let's ignore my review from the past. This book made me absolutely hate Jon. I didn't like him a whole lot in the last book, but this book really goes to show how awful, conceited, and controlling he is. The second he arrives at the Bloody Hawk tribe's village, things went downhill. He's moody and annoying, taking out his anger on Alanna. He only wants to marry her to prove he can do whatever he wants. And then they have a huge argument, which I really thinks shows his true colours. Saying that Alanna isn't a real woman like the Court ladies, was honestly the last straw for me. I didn't remember much of this book from my last reread because it's always been my least favourite, but this time around I just can't stand it. I know people will argue and say that Jon is still young, but in this world, a 21 year old is a proper adult, and Jon does not act like one.

Then we have the whole white saviour trope, with both Alanna and Jon. Alanna bringing education and freedom and women's rights to the Bazhir annoyed me so much. And she also tries to get the girls to remove their face veils because apparently that somehow limits or constricts them from becoming full-fledged shamans or sorcerers. It's eye-rolling, this whole book. Jon becomes the Voice because of course the Bazhir would want some white guy who's family has oppressed them for centuries to become their leader.

I do remember Jon changing in the next book, but I honestly don't remember how, and I don't know if it redeems his behaviour in this one. I am glad to finally be one step closer to finishing this series and rant-tweeting on Twitter has been a great as well lol

***

It's amazing how your opinions change as you get older. I still love this book (and this series) as much as I did the first time around. But it's definitely eye-opening. Jon really annoyed me in this book - he has gone a bit cocky and proud because of who he is. Just like Thom! I honestly didn't quite remember much about Thom's role in this book, and realizing who he's become makes me so sad. Jon also makes me so sad, because like Alanna said, he is a good person at heart, but he's just let all this royalty and "nobleness" get to his head and has forgotten that not every woman is at his beck and call and will accept/do whatever he wants. Alanna being with him constantly kept him somewhat grounded, but I'm hoping he remembers (I think he does later on) that woman have their own rights and thoughts and opinions. And he shouldn't need Alanna constantly near him to remember that. George though...now I remember why he's so perfect for Alanna!

(I feel kind of pressured to finish all of Tamora pierce's books before the end of the year because of the challenge, which sucks because I feel like I've rushed through this series and not drawn it out as slowly as I should have. I feel like there are so many important lessons that I should have thought over more, but I'm glad I own the book so now I can reread it as many times as I want)

lol where is my review??

I do really love the second half of this book. The first half has Liam and he sort of ruins everything lol But the second half picks up and I really enjoyed seeing the different POVs and especially getting more of a glimpse of the Lower City and George's life. That stuff just intrigues me a lot more. I love plots and assassination attempts and spying and court politics. So the second half really pulled through and made me enjoy this book.

I still get shivers when Alanna and Thayet are introduced at Court and when Alanna gives the Jewel to Jon. And the final battle is so intense and I liked how we went back and forth with the POVs. It read like a movie playing out in my head and it reminded me of why I love this series so much.

Despite how much Jon and Liam suck, everything else does make up for it. I don't buy Jon's "character development" exactly. He does have to grow up pretty fast, especially with the sudden deaths of his parents and his rise to power, but I don't think it excuses his previous behaviour. Liam was just annoying and controlling and rude to Alanna. George is amazing and I will always ship him and Alanna together. I only wish Alanna hadn't pulled a Harry and named her son after Thom. Coram is right there?? And while I get Thom is young and ambitious and stupid, I don't exactly feel sorry for him either. He is her brother though, so I guess it makes sense, and at least she didn't name him Roger lol