4.5⭐️ 1🌶️

YA dystopian Fantasy

Thief FMC

Special powers

War centered society

Forced labor class system

Politics

Rebellion

Training

Secrets

I have no idea why I didn’t read this series sooner. I’m so glad I finally am. The writing style was definitely YA, but I wouldn’t skate it as middle grade. I’m in my 30’s and I was thoroughly entertained, just not surprised by much. 

The worldbuilding and magic system were set up really well. It was an info dump, but put forth while there was the action of a fight going on, so it made it more palatable. 

A lot is inspired by the hunger games. The love triangle. The dystopian America, the rebellion, the videotaping everything. It’s very close, but not in an upsetting way… just in a way that is standard now since The Hunger Games went Mainstream and anything remotely similar is compared to it.

The foreshadowing was a little heavy handed. I guessed a lot of the main plot tools ahead of time, but the manner of which they played out was interesting enough that I wasn’t mad about being right.

Very specific things that annoyed me:

-If someone with flame powers heated up a sword, it would have cauterized as it cut. There shouldn’t have been blood pooling like that.

-Silent Stone. Really? And all we got about it was “don’t ask me to explain it, I don’t have the energy.” What a world-building cop out!!!

-they meet and throw out a shoddy plan that people admit is t a great one… then use the plan the very next day?! No wonder things went the way they did… please, make it make sense.

But I’m excited and will be finishing  the series!