I received this as an ARC in exchange for a review.

I am a huge fan of Garnet Christie, that is no surprise as several of her books have gotten five stars from me, and this one is no exception, except that it's exceptional. For the first time in my reading life, I annotated parts of a book that I was reading for fun, because the writing is so good.

"I wonder how a soul so young can be so tainted by hate."
"She can be happy with me because she's never been tethered to my despair."
"It only provides us with inadequate ways to cope with things, and we're left to piece together the rest any way we can."

Garnet writes imperfect characters and she does an amazing job at that. I think the incredible thing with Lizzie and Saber is she makes you perceive them in a certain light. Lizzie perceives Saber as a monster, as someone incapable of goodness, while Saber perceives Lizzie as his flower, a savior in his darkest moments. But as you read along, you find that Lizzie has thorns. Parts of her needed to be cut off so she could grow into something more, something healthier and better, and no matter how many people she had around her, Saber was the only one who could help her with that. Saber was cut throat, and that's what she needed over the understanding and gentleness of her friends.

On the other hand Saber needed someone to fight him and fight for him. He really never had that, and to see Lizzie grow that strength, and go after something she wants so vigorously, was incredible. It was also beautiful seeing Saber's kindness, and just how much this person, who was treated so harshly, could love and the strength of that love.