Delightfully vicious. That’s the first thing that comes to mind about this book. I received this as an ARC and am excited about the next one. 

It’s cutthroat and harsh and there are betrayals around every chapter and I love it. This is not your typical “FMC discovers powers, battles for survival in a tournament, meets her true love, all tied up in a pretty bow” book. The FMC is gritty and harsh and real. It doesn’t feel like there really is a happy ending for her, and she is certainly not one to go down without shredding the world down with her. The characters are all morally gray at best, black at worst. Everyone is looking out for themselves and willing to do whatever it takes for their own interests, which makes for a delightfully unique read among the “morally gray” but in reality quite light gray characters that are popular now. 

I am so so intrigued by the powers and control shown so far in this series, and interested in this concept of the Under and Upper and who the possible pairing could be for a character this wild - I can’t wait to see how that builds and for us to meet them. 

The book definitely started off a bit complicated. The world context, terms, names, and powers took a bit to wrap my head around and understand as the magic use is quite complex and understanding the political structure and kingdoms with minimal context is difficult. I think it was worth the effort to work through, though I wish I had a map to reference at the end for kingdom locational relationships. 

If you like a rough and gritty fantasy, you’ll love this. There is no redeeming romance here, just fighting for survival and taking what you deserve. Highly recommend.