The interplay between Robin (jock/sunshine) and Edwin (grumpy/intellectual) is magnificent in this book. You see them from their initial dislike of each other, to tentative trust, genuine friendship, and eventual romance. Edwin is shown to be a complex character early on – he is considered a relatively weak magician and scorned by his family, yet he has a strong sense of justice and academia. Robin could have easily been the stereotypical aristocratic jock who’s never encountered any hardship but throw in a complex relationship with his deceased parents and Freya really opened up his character. 

 

I LOVED the magic system; developing spells around the game of Cat’s Cradle - and the way Freya used it to demonstrate Edwin’s handicap (needing physical string for spells) with summoning his power – it was so different from anything I’ve read before yet was oddly reminiscent of the academia associated the magic system in The Laws of Magic series by Michael Pryor (same era, also Aussie author = get around them!). 

 

The plot was full of murder, mayhem, unresolved sexual tension (and then very resolved sexual tension; the spice in these books is definitely NOT PG rated kiddies) and lots of character bonding/comfort over the traumas from their respective families. Be aware that A LOT happens in the first few chapters in terms of major plot points and character introduction, so I’d recommend taking it slow to let it sink in. 

The story is wrapped up nicely by the end but is also set up very well for the next book. I eagerly await the next instalment as well as re-reading this book over and over (hello new comfort read!)