a day later and I’m still very unwell thinking about this book 🤯😅 the characters grew and developed so much in this one - and I absolutely loved seeing POVs beyond bryce, ruhn and hunt (the chapters with ithan were among my favorite!!!) 

and can we talk about how ruhn must have a broken back from carrying this entire book by HIMSELF? I swear, without his storyline with agent day and discovering who he really is at the core, this book would have gotten less than 3 stars…

I loved the character development from the first one, but I just feel like … nothing really happened … everything that was built up in the first 50% of this story turned out not to even matter in the end, and to find that out after investing time and emotions in those characters felt like a cheap shot

HOWEVER, the last 100 pages truly saved the book for me. finding out the asteri’s big secret, and that cliffhanger, was HUGE and seriously blew my mind! while I did already know how this one was going to end, I still actively squealed at the last chapter 🥰🥰 I cannot wait for flame and shadow and I absolutely have no idea how everyone was able to wait two years for this 

I definitely felt like this book could have been 200 pages shorter, but for a thicc book, it sure didn’t feel like it!! SJM does no wrong again 🫡 

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: rosa regale sparkling wine