I … need to collect my thoughts because this was a RIDE!!! I definitely felt like this could have been divided into two separate books since we got to part two and I was already exhausted my goodness

this one started almost exactly where the previous left off, which I so appreciate, and being thrust into the world again was a perfect way to suck the reader back in! seeing violet, xaden, rhiannon, ridoc and imogen was like hugging a childhood friend 🥰 I missed them all so much!!!

and after all of the theories bouncing around the internet, I was so happy to see that some were accurate but rebecca yarros found a way to still surprise us!! the blend between war conflict, personal drama, and romance was *chef kiss* 😮‍💨 even with a slow paced plot, and an easy drag in the middle, it didn’t feel like 650 pages at all! 

my favorite part, as always, was the dragons!!! I would risk it all for andarna (and taken of course) 🐉 they are just so wonderful and uniquely written AND YES I WANT A PET DRAGON OKAY

the ending felt like a cop out, in my opinion, as it seemed like rebecca yarros didn’t really know how to end and just wanted a shocking cliffhanger. BUT I am excited to see where it goes from here and the possible stories we could get into!! 

this is a spoiler free review & as always, if you want to discuss, my dms are open!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: rioja red blend