Em

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)

6 STAR READ!!! I’m in a pretty much exclusive fantasy / romantasy period in my reading journey and this book is the epitome of why I love this genre. It is So. Well. Done. I laughed, I cried, my heart pinched and ached and swelled. I felt like I knew the characters deeply. And I felt like I was part of the story, learning and discovering along with the characters at the same time they were experiencing it.

The plot is unique and the tropes are absolute fire.🔥 These main characters had so much empathy and offered a lot of vulnerability that you don’t often find in book 1 of a series. It made me love them immediately.

The FMC isn’t some highly trained badass. She’s just a free spirit who is doing the best she can, taking everything in stride and asking all the questions that we as readers are asking along with her. The minute a turn in the plot seemed a little over the top, my exact thoughts about it ended up being expressed by one of the characters a paragraph later. It kept the story grounded and made it feel real.

And the connection I felt with that little 4 year old girl!? I just cannot. I pictured my daughter the entire time and it made my reading experience that much more tangible.

This might be the second book ever that has seriously knocked me over with its grip on my emotions. Just a little brain chemistry alteration on a random Tuesday. NBD.

Go read this book right now (or listen to the audio because it is straight up AMAZING). No hesitation recommendation!!!!!

Liz

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about author Devney Perry, but had never read one of her books myself. Needless to say, she did not disappoint! This book gave us everything. It gave questions, hot enemies, forced proximity, so many questions, scary monsters, adventure, so very many questions, AND Devney wrote in a way that allowed me to picture exactly where I was as we adventured through foreign lands. I could envision all of our characters and how they interacted. But more than just being able to picture people and places, her imagery pulled me into the world in a way that we all love fantasy books to do. This was an easy 5 stars for me. My only critique is of myself for starting another

unfinished series.

Lib

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)

Em and Liz both have covered so much of what I would say, so I’ll keep my review short! This was such a fun start to a series with a unique story, actually high stakes, and an easily approachable writing style. 10/10 rec.