I genuinely don’t know where to start with what I liked about this book; the characters are so well developed and they’re complex too; I love the way the story develops and is layed out plus the writing is friggen beautiful. The way Jordan Ifueko managed the intertwine the ‘current time’ along with detailed character backstory’s, that have a bunch of emotional depth which causes you to be truely invested in so many different characters — even the characters you dislike — is just so enticing and gets you hooked! Meanwhile, the fact that Ifueko still included detailed world building that is just the right amount of descriptive that even someone like me (who can’t see things in their mind when they read...like at all) can get a good understanding of the scenes is genuinely nothing short of fantastic. 

 

The found family aspect is amazing; the council and its ray connection concept is interesting enough on its own because it is through love. However it’s many kinds of love, not just romantic so you get all levels of relationships and friendships that give the found family itself even more depth but, then on-top of that the other council members individually are interesting and worth investing in. The majority, if not all of the characters, no matter how long they are there for, are given just the right amount of backstory and depth for who they are so you are never left feeling like you didn’t know enough. 

 

Tarisai, and the way The Lady raised her, creates such an interesting dynamic throughout the relationships Tar develops and the way it impacts how she moves through her life; again the details make it! Tarisai grows up throughout the book and her upbringing and trauma from it is clearly written into her within every page. 

 

If you have the ability to listen to the audiobook then I highly recommend it! The narrator’s voice is expressive, engaging and the way they change inflection, tone and, if necessary, accents to do voices for all the characters to differentiate them, at least a little, is amazing. The songs too, are done nicely and adds the right touch to bring the book even more alive.