I got the first book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days and I felt like something was missing during the first book. This book kind of made sense but it just felt like a filler book for the final one in the series.  

There are several points of view in the book. The first is Evelyn and she has been blackmailed into leaving her home and finds herself trapped in Royal Bay and betrothed to a prince. However, things aren’t as they seem, and to uncover secrets and keep her friends safe, Evelyn must play the part King Dominic demands of her. The second point of view is Nora, and she has been freed from the magical bonds that tied her to a tyrant king and now she is forced to reconcile with her past actions. But can she ever learn to trust someone again? The last point of view is August, and his emotions and magic run unchecked which makes him a threat to all those around him. He is deep in the Periculum Mountains and hoping to find help, unearth secrets and discover more than he bargained for. As all three battle their own demons, a greater evil grows with each sacrifice to the Makers. The rebels will rise. The king will demand reverence. Valmenessia will be changed forever.  

I liked the characters and how much they all develop within this book. They all had their own voices and their own reasons for doing what they did and how they did. I liked Nora and August’s relationship, and I missed them being together during this book. The only relationship we got to see develop was Sage and Nora’s because they were the only ones together. I enjoyed the additional POV from August and I would have loved for an additional POV from Kylan especially with the tension growing between Evelyn and Kylan. I am wanting to trust Kylan, but I don’t trust anyone in the castle so far. I felt like King Dominic was finally the scary and villainous bad guy that we didn’t get in the last book.  

I felt like the ending was a bit rushed with a lot of information. I felt like it was a massive filler book there wasn’t many massive plot points besides the war brewing, sides being picked and people getting killed. I was waiting for some big revelation like August reuniting with the King or Evelyn escaping or the King getting killed.  

I am excited to see how this series finished and sort of hoping everyone gets a happy ending including Evelyn and August reunite and August and Nora reunite and none of the big three characters or their love interests get killed during the war.