This book was fantastic. I was captivated from the first sentence. The world building was fascinating. It felt wholly unique and, yet, there was something familiar about it, too. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere was harsh, cold, and unforgiving, but there were strong undercurrents of hope, love, and freedom, too.

I was incredibly intrigued by Sephone's gift of memory manipulation, not to mention all the other alters' powers too. The vast array of different powers, what they could do, and how they affected others was very interesting. There were plenty of characters to root for, many villains, as well. Of course, I liked Sephone and Dorian, Bear and Bas, even Cass, but my favorite character had to be Lady Jewel. She was just flat-out awesome.

This story was constantly on my mind. I was thinking about it even when I had to set it aside to do real-life things. It even invaded my dreams. If you're a fantasy fan, this book is a must-read. The next book can't come out soon enough.

4.3 I can't wait for Lumen!

A girl with special abilities rescued from slavery in the post apocalyptic landscape after the world-that-was. I thought this was an amazing slow paced journey with all the right elements!

Prose: I loved the writing. It was so quirky and interesting, I want to start saying Aye all the time. The duel POV (and by that I mean it's written in both 1st and 3rd) was done so beautifully, I LOVED that dynamic. A real "rules are there to break well" moment.

World: Setting was set up so well, you see, hear, breath, feel in this book. The magic system is really different. I think we've only scrapped the surface to be honest even though it left me quite satisfied in its depth. I'm hoping we go to Marianthe and Lethe.

Characters: Really well done. I'm usually super drawn to black and white MMCs but Cassian is by far my favorite. Sephone has been set up so well, I hope to see more depth from her in the rest of the series. Dorian is relatable and his journey through grief is represented well I think, being full of variables. The brothers I want to see more of! Especially Bas.

Plot: The premise is great and executed very well. I love the catch and release aspect of their journey and the pursuit really drives the story. It was thoroughly enjoyable. It did however lose me a bit in the end. One of the plot points seems to come out of nowhere, I think mostly because all others were foreshadowed so expertly they made sense and this one didn't, and honestly I don't think it was needed for the motivation it was used for, I think there was enough already there. I will be anticipating the next book to see how it all folds in. So glad it's so soon!!!

Content Warning: This book was pretty clean as there was no smut, completely closed door and any escapades were merely suggested. However, there was slavery, torture, a version of drug use, drugging while kidnapping, torture. All were shown in a negative light, but might be uncomfortable for younger YA readers. I think it's probably better for the more mature teens.