I know I’m going to be in the minority but this just didn’t work for me.
The first third of the book was - for me - boring and I found myself wanting to skip the repetitive scenes between Xaden and Violet. It’s never a good sign when you feel like you have to force yourself to pick up a book. If it weren’t from comments from other readers that it got considerably better, I may not have bothered.
Once the cadets were sent on their quests things picked up. We learnt a little more about the challenges they’re facing, and Violet’s father seems to have been prepared for much of what transpired. The development of Adarna’s situation felt unfair, but it definitely created a bit of interest.
I found myself constantly checking to see how much was left. The battle Violet faced offered, as you could predict, some drama but I found myself wondering why so much of this was happening. As for the ending..it felt horribly manipulative. I didn’t feel broken by it, just a bit bored.