*TRIGGER WARNING: Sex trafficking, suicide 

Like most of Mia Sheridan’s books, I go in with an open mind and while I have an idea what the story might be about, I’m always surprised by the turn of events in the book. This story followed, Karys and Zakai and how their love started when they were at Sundara. Sundara was like an oasis, a paradise for people to go, and watch all kinds of performances, but the reality was it was a sex trafficking ring. Karys and Zakai were partners, and performed together, having eyes on them at all times as they performed for the audiences that came to Sundara. Told through the past leading up to present time, we got to see Karys and Zakai’s life at Sundara, and their new lives they started when they left. A story involving heartbreak, struggles, loss, darkness, and love, this story wasn’t light, but told the story of what Karys and Zakai went through together, and eventually came back together. 

This story wasn’t for the faint of heart so please make sure to look up trigger warnings before reading. With Karys and Zakai living in Sundara, they worked for Haziq, the boss, to pay of their debt to him for “saving” them. Karys and Zakai were indebted to Haziq so in order to pay off their debts, they performed at Sundara as a pair, posing as siblings as part of their sexual deviant acts. KARYS AND ZAKAI WEREN’T RELATED! I REPEAT NOT RELATED! They were just made to look similar to come off as siblings, and it was their act. So no worries no sibling romance, just wanted to make sure you were made aware. Anyways, in the past chapters, it showed the kind of life Karys and Zakai lived, one that wasn’t true freedom as they essentially lived to serve Haziq. Despite the lack of freedom, Karys and Zakai had one another, their love for each other was deep and passionate. Zakai was fiercely protective of Karys and even when they performed together, he always ensured her safety and focus to take her mind off the people watching them as they “performed”. Even through the past and present timelines, it was clear that Karys and Zakai shared a strong connection and love that never went away, even when they were apart. 

My heart broke for Karys and Zakai, their lives weren’t easy, and as they came to the realization that their lives weren’t as Haziq has always told them it was a shock for them. Through the hardships and losses that both Karys and Zakai suffered while living in Sundara, that day when they were saved made me feel hope for them. Seeing how Karys and Zakai were after being rescued from Sundara was a culture shock to them in that, they were seeing things they had never seen before from buildings, cars, people walking about in the streets, things we typically saw as normal and mundane were a shock to Karys and Zakai. With all the new surroundings, new people, and figuring out what to do next was a tad overwhelming at times for both Karys and Zakai. 

With the new circumstances and new environment that Karys and Zakai were put in, it also provided a chance for them to start fresh. One of the things I loved about Karys was not only her growth throughout the story, but also her thirst for knowledge. The few lessons she received from Ahmad allowed for Karys to see she was capable of learning, but also opening her eyes to new possibilities such as, gaining the ability to potential write her own stories. I loved seeing how Karys got excited reading a new book or the way she described how reading gave her an escape and look into different types of stories was heartwarming, but also a moment of pure innocence that she finally had a chance to experience. Karys had a lot of growing to do through out her journey, but every step of the way I was impressed with her determination to put in the work at school, and branch out of her comfort bubble. 

The amount of things that Karys had overcome throughout the story was… wow… just a lot for me to take in, but I was also inspired and impressed by her strength and resilience. Karys  had to navigate many different lessons and struggles after leaving Sundara, and learning about the new world she was in now. Over the course of the story, Karys went from a young girl who believed she was naïve and blinded by the lies people told her to coming into her own person as a strong, independent woman, who took all the negativity and hardships of her life, and created a beautiful, fantastical story. I really did love the tie in of the book when Karys started writing her book, “once we were starlight”. I legitimately couldn’t help, but smile because, just having that sentence be the first words that Karys wrote for her book meant so much in terms of her life and her connection to Zakai. Karys learned a lot about the truth that Zakai and others kept from her in order to protect her from the harsh realities of Sundara, but with Karys finally accepting everything that she subconsciously was aware of, she came out the other end stronger and came to accepting the fact of the matter.

I will say, over the course of the story seeing the bond between Karys and Zakai was deep and meaningful. For as long as Karys and Zakai knew one another, they had always been together, relied on one another, and it was them against the world. Seeing the way they eventually drifted apart was heartbreaking especially since for Karys, she always believed that Zakai would always be there for her. Over the years, being apart gave Karys the opportunity to explore herself, go out into the world and chase after her own dreams like working at a publishing company, and giving dating another chance. Through it all, Karys and Zakai couldn’t stop thinking about each other or stay away. Aside from the emotional aspect of their relationship, intimacy had also been a core part of Karys and Zakai’s relationship for as long as they were back at Sundara. There was a passionate love between Karys and Zakai and when they were together, it was like fire or in Karys’s case like starlight. Seemed like even over the course of years, Zakai and Karys were like magnets, always attracted to one another, felt each other’s presence on such a deep level that only they recognized. 

“Once we were starlight. But now, now we were a universe.” *Not me absolutely smiling and feeling all the fuzzy, warm feels in my heart after finishing reading this book. This was such a tumultuous ride filled with lots of obstacles, heartbreaking moments, sadness, sacrifice, growth, and much more. Karys and Zakai definitely didn’t live an easy life, and even after leaving behind the harsh life of Sundara, their new lives put them to the test facing off new struggles they couldn’t have imagined. Through all the heartbreak and years apart, Karys and Zakai managed to find their way back to each other, and got their happily ever after. This whole book was a whirlwind of emotions, and heavy topics as to what Karys and Zakai experienced, but I enjoyed reading their story and seeing their character growth. I also loved how towards the end, there were a few campers from some of my favorite Mia Sheridan books such as, Jake (a.k.a. Leo) and Evie from, “Leo” & “Leo’s Choice”, and even brief mentions of a specific ex-Navy team working to help sex trafficked victims, ahem Carson Stinger and his group from, “Stinger”. Loved seeing the connections from the other stories fit perfectly into Zakai and Kary’s story. Man, I really loved Karys and Zakai. I also loved how Karys ended up becoming an author and writing her story which of course ended up being a big hit! This book dealt with heavy topics, but it was done in a way that in true Mia Sheridan fashion was respectful but also shed light on some meaningful aspects of the characters stories. I loved the epilogue and all that entailed it with Zakai and Kary’s having their own home together, their family, and seeing Zakai thriving in his new work endeavors with Carson Stinger and Jake Madsen. Zakai and Kary were sweet, passionate, loving, protective over one another, and I’m just happy to see their story ended on a beautiful note.