In so many ways, I really loved this book. The story as a whole was very interesting. It had me clutching at the edge of my seat in fear for the characters I grew so attached to. I came to enjoy the magic and the families the story centers, as well as the land in which the story is set. It was all so whimsical and the plot was so thrilling.

At the same time, however, the plot was extremely predictable and almost felt like a YA read (but with a spicy seen added in), which was not what I was anticipating. The first few chapters could have used more editing, with the narration really throwing me off sometimes and ruining my reading flow. It got a bit better further into the book, however, but I was close to DNFing it a few chapters in.

The main character took some time for me to come to like, as she very much had a 'not-like-other-girls' mindset that felt pretty annoying. She has great character development as the story progresses, however, so that kind of redeemed her in my eyes.

I wish the magic system had been explored much more prior to the climax, as it felt kind of underdeveloped. I also wish the romance had more time to cook as well, as everything seemed to happen really suddenly when the romance finally did seem to come together. Also, I just wish we had more time to see what honey + ash magic is like in the post-climax setting. It all rushed so quickly at the end, and I ended wanting more, so I think the pacing wasn't quite right.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but it was kind of frustrating to me at times. It's a really great story, though, I just think there was room for improvement. I borrowed this book from the library, and don't think I'll read it again, but I might keep an eye out for this author's future work.