This book was pure joy from start to finish. I adored it. 

I really enjoyed this! A solid YA fantasy and the first book has set the scene for a really interesting trilogy. 

My main reason for it not quite being 5 stars is it was a bit slow at times and there was a moment I had to really push myself through. In saying that though, I’m really struggling to finish anything right now so this could be a case of “it’s not you it’s me”.

That plot twist at the end though? I did NOT see that coming. Running to grab book 2 off my shelf! 

This series will go down as one of my favourites ever. I loved every minute we spent with these characters. 

Gosh Carissa Broadbent writes fantastic villains. I can’t say much without spoilers but I’ve never read a book quite in this format before, and it has raised the bar for villains for me. My heart was so torn apart for all these characters. I couldn’t see how it was going to end in a way that felt like a “win” but the ending felt fitting.

The reason for 4.25 instead of 5 is it was a bit long, it took me a while to get through, and I still feel like I never quite fully understood the magic system and couldn’t visualise it. It was a bit vague. If you’ve read the book you probably know what I mean! A very small issue though, it doesn’t impede enjoyment at all. 

What this book does really well is an incredibly rich world steeped in folklore and magic, with a plot that will keep you guessing until the very end. The characters are wonderful - Malik is such a sweet “soft boy” (in the best way) and I loved the way the author deals with his anxiety and panic attacks. Karina was also brilliant and I felt like we really got to understand her and her depth of character. 

There was a romantic subplot but it was quite minor in this book I think - maybe book 2 will explore that more? 

Where it lost half a point for me is it was just very slow to start. It took me a long time to read the first half, but I stuck it out because I was also in a bit of a reading funk and it was partially a “me problem”. it really picked up in the second half. I devoured the last 150-200 pages so quickly. 

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to read this book, this is your sign!

4.75 stars. 

I loved this book! For me this series is the perfect balance of plot and romance. Everything feels fleshed out and explained. My only tiny little gripe that the reason for knocking off 0.25 stars is that the magic system is still a little vague and confusing to me, but it's not so annoying that it took me out of the story at any point or prevented my enjoyment. 

I really enjoyed the twists that this book had and how it brought everything together. Without going into spoilers, there is something that's 'resolved' early on and I was like 'that felt too easy, why did we even need that whole storyline then' but I should have had faith because the last 20% brings it ALL together and you realise Ms Carissa Broadbent was 10 steps ahead of us the entire time. 

There was also one reveal that I did see coming, but it wasn't 'too obvious' in the slightest and still SO impactful. I felt so smart for picking it but oh lord was I hoping I was wrong. Gosh my heart was so broken. If you know you know. 

I love that Carissa Broadbent’s "villains" are SO good. They’re complex and flawed and you understand them. It’s almost hard at points to hate them fully because you get their motivations. They feel like three dimensional. My heart breaks for what some of them have suffered and even if I disagree with their actions, I can't help but feel some compassion for them. You *almost* want to root for them (you know, if it weren't for all the death and destruction). 

I’m jumping straight into the next one weeeeeeeeeeee

I liked the first book fine, but had a few issues with it which continued in to the second book - mostly I just wanted slightly more fleshed out characters, relationships and magic/worldbuilding. 

Then the author made my FAVOURITE CHARACTER basically irrelevant at the 20%  and I realised I just didn't care anymore. Spoilers next

So I'm talking about the fact that Grey and the Dark King were the same person. For me it just didn't make sense (maybe it does later idk, I doubt it though) and I was so annoyed by the twist and the fact it felt like it was just for shock value that I couldn't keep reading. I loved Grey and Raven's friendship and it just didn't make sense!!!! It felt like just trying to retrospectively make Raven and the Dark King's relationship make more sense. I hated it. I don't mind the trope when it's done well but it wasn't in this case IMO