With a complex and immersive magic system, lush world-building, and a thought provoking look into the moral and ethical consequences of magic—I was utterly blown away by how much I enjoyed this! 

The writing was beautifully descriptive and I loved getting to explore the various magical aspects (and lore) that make up this world. The pacing was good too, if a little swifter than I had anticipated, which meant it (thanks to the high stakes intensity of the narrative) wasn’t as slow to start as other fantasy novels.

I do think however, that the pacing could have been slightly slower in the second half. If only so I could’ve immersed myself more in the tension —and explore Elia’s thoughts and feelings in more depth. Especially as we watch her attempts to deal with the repercussions that many of her choices have caused. 

For a protagonist, Elia, and her resourceful determination to protect her family (at any cost), was really intriguing. Her desire to spare her young siblings from emotional (and physical) upheaval was one of the main factors that endeared me to her. 

But the choices she makes in order to do so, are marred in ethical implications which I felt added a complex, morally grey edge that made anticipating her next move (or any of the plot in general) almost impossible— which is something I absolutely loved! 

Her interactions with Trys, gave us romance lovers some much needed (and rather swoony) slow burn content to enjoy. But the romance is more of a side plot than the main event, with the focus primarily on Elia trying to save her family and right some of her previous wrongs. 

I also think the character development for some of the other characters, wasn’t as in depth as I would’ve liked. However, for a standalone under 350 pages, debut author Sasa Hawk has done a spectacular job of crafting a compelling and thought provoking, dark fairytale of a read that I never wanted to end. 

I’ll definitely be reading everything Hawk writes from now on— and ask only that we see more of this world, it’s Gods, monsters (especially Solbane), and unique magic system in future works. And as always, do check the TWs 

Also, thank you Instabooktours and Harper360YA for the finished copy and my spot on the upcoming socials tour.