Premise- (3/5) This one's been on my 'recommended' list from goodreads for a while, so when I saw it at the library I finally picked it up. Interesting for sure. This was one of those books where the inside flap summary doesn't give you a whole lot of information about the book, but it's enough to draw you in.
Characters- (3/5) I liked Karou a lot, I liked Zuzana a lot, I liked Brimstone and the other chimaera. Thiago was interesting, as was Chiro. I didn't love Akiva. I'm not sure why, exactly, but something about him just didn't click for me. Other than that I liked the characters and their interactions.
Plot- (3/5) The plot was solid, but I didn't adore it. I liked that *spoiler* Karou is Madrigal reborn, and the war is interesting. I'm not sure how I felt about the end of the book. I think the reason I didn't like the plot more was because it felt like there were a lot of big reveals but the characters didn't do anything about it. I guess that's not entirely true, they did do something about it, but it almost felt like the plot just stopped at a certain point when we started learning about Akiva and Madrigal's backstory. I'm definitely curious for the next book though.
World- (4/5) I really liked the chimaera and seraph war and the world these characters inhabited. It was colorful and it felt just as real as this world, which I loved.
Writing- (4/5) Taylor's writing style was really beautiful. A little tricky to get through occasionally, but overall just very poetic and lovely.
Overall- (3.5/5) This book was definitely interesting. Some of the plot elements felt a little cliche, but overall unique. The characters were intriguing, and for the most part likable, and the writing was beautiful. I will definitely keep an eye out for the sequel.