The world building, I think, was this book's strength and saving grace. There was a lot of history and lore in here, especially in the minor details and places you wouldn't expect there to be but it was also simple and easy to understand perfect for beginners a fantasy. I also thought the kingdom names were unique too, especially as each place was named after a different jewel.  This isn't done often in fantasy and once again takes place us back to the fact that this was a great starter in the genre.

I loved some of the political aspects too, especially how Arwen learnt that her own kingdom and king had a deeply problematic history and past and that everything she knew was a lie. This is a wonderful, fantastical representation of what it's like to be from a colonising country in the real world and learn about everything your ancestors have done.

I did, however, find Arwen to be a deeply problematic main character. Golden had written Arwen to be very immature: she was highly male centric, she chose to keep her grudge going longer than I thought necessary, allowed herself to be led astray and blamed Kane for lying to her when in reality she was nowhere near ready for the truth he withheld - he never lied. And she has such a weak constitution, everything made her feel sick.

I think a lot of that comes down to the quality of Golden's writing and just how simplified everything was. She tried to show Arwen with complex feelings and emotions, but it ended up making her look like a petulant child which made her and Kane's relationship a bit uncomfortable.

Also, Kane knew about Arwen the whole time and so everything he did looked and felt like straight manipulation. From continuing to disguise himself as a prisoner to gain her trust, to ultimately choosing not to tell her the truth. He's a couple hundred years old, she's 20 and new to this world. He absolutely needed to be more forthcoming. And it's very odd to me how he fell in love with someone so immature.  I am a lover of taboo romance, but this even felt uncomfy to me.

Overall, I had a great time, but I doubt I'll come back to this series.