I wanted to love this book so much. The beautiful cover art was what initially attracted me along with the magical title. The book description captivated me as soon as I read it. So many things grabbed me in the synopsis: "seductive magical underworld," "power-hungry scholars," "fickle gods and family curses." Yes! Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I found that the story lacked in a few major areas. The world building was minimal and written in a sort of ethereal style, which was very beautiful and poetic but made it hard to feel interested in what was happening. I was disappointed that the main character, Violet, never stood out or took a firm shape in her personality. The romance was rushed and was more of an undertone throughout the book. It felt a lot like being lured by a small, wilted carrot. 

Overall, I wasn't moved by the story and really struggled to finish it but it wasn't a bad book.