4/5 A dark, enchanting novel inspired by West African folklore, rich with magic and action-packed adventures. The story is set in the prosperous city of Ziran where the Solstasia festival celebrates the passing of Bahia's comet, one that passes every 50 years and commemorates the start of a new era. We follow Malik, a refugee from the war-ravaged Eshra Mountains, who has struck a deal with a vengeful spirit. Kill the Heiress of Ziran - or have his little sister Nadia, die in his hands. The Heiress, Karina Alahari, whose kingdom is rife with mutiny and swarming with murderous traitors, witnesses the assassination of her mother. To save her realm falling under control of corrupted leaders, she invokes dark magic to resurrect the Queen and restore peace in Ziran. This involves a human sacrifice - the victor of the Solstasia Festival games. A gripping fantasy in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a to heart-pounding, skull-shattering mission to destroy each other. But when Malik rigs his way into the games, an unexpected attraction ignites between them, leaving them further away from their deadly aspirations. Death is coming closer, and its taking either the whole of Ziran or the life of little six-year-old Nadia.  

A beautifully written story with incredible world-building and characters. Roseanne Brown has a captivating writing style, bringing West African Mythology to life and brimming every page with magic. This book was mesmerizing, and I could not put it down. West African mythology has become my absolute favourite and Brown did amazing in merging the characters with African myths and legends. My favourite character was definitely Malik as he is not portrayed in a way that contradicts typical ‘heroes’. He was a fearful boy, tackled with many mental health issues like anxiety and low self-esteem and was constantly put down and putting himself down. He honestly had no attributes of a typical ‘hero’ but that is what made me love him so much. Despite the struggles he was burdened with, he was able to manipulate them to his advantage. I could feel myself relating to Malik on multiple levels. 

The reason this book did not get 5 stars was because of the romance. I believe the romance between Malik and Karina was very unnecessary and forced. This book would have been fine without the romance, if not better. It just felt very forced and seemed to only exist to fulfil a romantic element common in mythology novels. It really did not need romance between these characters and when reading, the love between them felt very unrealistic. I did not like this illogical romance at all and was a poor attempt at an enemies-to-lovers. Despite this, I would definitely give this a reread as the writing and plotline was just incredible.