I'm stunned and in awe. What an incredible debut, and I'm obsessed with this series now.

Nothing was as it seemed, and I was constantly struck speechless by the turn this book took. This book never stopped surprising me and keeping me on the edge of my seat from the first page right till the very last sentence. AND there's a dragon. A very very hot dragon.

When the book started and I saw where both these characters were headed, I was initially confused, but as the two took their own paths, I was amazed at how the author brought the two narratives together with time and also set things up for the future books really well.

I liked how the author took her time to build the world and show us how it operates. What the roles and rules are. It does start off slow, but that was very much necessary to establish this world so when things eventually start clicking, we know why and how. So many things were happening in the beginning that at first felt like they might not make sense, but as we keep going, we see how everything comes together so well, and I was just here like, OH DAMNN!!!

There was so much action throughout the book that keeps you hooked and won't let you put it down. Many nail-biting, hand-wringing moments. There was also the mystery regarding who was behind the attacks. The fight scenes were so well written and described, it was like you were present in the field with the others. The final 10% was so intense that I couldn't stop reading, with my fingers crossed and screaming at the characters. Fan-fucking-tastic!

The politics in Glenn and the hierarchy within the guara were also something that I found interesting. There's so much going on in the guara with all their manipulations, secrets, and deceptions that I can't wait to see them revealed.

Tate was an absolute badass, and I'm so happy to see such a strong, resilient, fierce FMC like her. I liked the duality of her character as the prey within The Glenn and as the predator on the other side of the veil. Her hate for the guara was so valid given their role in her mother's death. Tate went through so much throughout this book, and she still found her strength and determination. Watching her go through some changes and what made her act the way she was was also a mystery that we got into. 

She kept fighting her way through all that she had to go through over and over, even when she was by herself and even with her physical drawbacks. And I liked that she didn't pick up a weapon one day and suddenly knew how to wield it like a pro, but it was shown that she was really inexperienced, but she stayed and fought with the rest regardless.

The scene with Fletch being questioned absolutely broke my heart, and I felt just as hopeless as Tate. It was honestly so brutal, and my hate for Collin Dale is something fierce.

I really loved the side characters who played such a major role in the book. Shae, Vala, Jared (although he was a little pissy at times), Holland, and OBVIOUSLY Aether. That man is literally the best, and I'm looking forward to learning more about him and getting answers about what's going on between him and Tate. I want more about his history and how he became in love with Arithi. He is honestly so swoon-worthy, perfect, protective, strong, sexy, caring, and so much more. *SIGH* There are also some things unknown about Jared, if that revelation towards the end is any indication.

The spicy scenes were definitely hot, especially with all that tension, but it didn't take away from the plot. More like it was woven as a part of the plot in some cases.

I honestly didn't care much for Chance's character right from the first appearance he made. When I initially saw that the other POV was his, I was actually taken aback that he might be the MMC. He truly got on my nerves sometimes. He was so stupidly stubborn and willingly turning a blind eye to the facts and logical reasoning, constantly shutting Holland down without even considering her very valid points, which pissed me off.

If Chance by any means becomes Tate's love interest in any future book, I will hurl my book/Kindle across the room for sure because I absolutely do not want him with her after everything he did to aid the guara with her mother's case AND especially after that ending. He was more concerned about his wounded ego and pride rather than the severity of the situation they were all in, and he still acted like a fucking coward by hiding and then leaving his so-called love to die because he knew she wouldn't forgive or choose him.

Thank you to Rebecca Parcha and InkSlinger PR for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review💗