4.5/5

a wonderful hidden gem.

i truly did not expect to love this book as much as i did. the pacing of both the story and the build up of the romance between theos and finnvid was great, and i thoroughly enjoyed the plot and world-building. i also adored all of the characters, including both MCs, which is exceptionally rare—at least for me.

instant forgiveness did not occur in this story, which i appreciated greatly; characters didn't just go running back into each other's arms after something bad happened, they gradually worked their way back up. and the slow burn and UST was too good; theos and finnvid's yearning for each other was so palpable. it was extremely refreshing and a nice change of pace in comparison to some of the rushed romances in other stories i've read recently.

sherwood also does a magnificent job of showing instead of telling, and the descriptions of both settings and the emotions characters felt throughout the story truly impressed me. there were even some moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, which is not a common occurrence at all bc i oftentimes find banter or dialogue between MCs in m/m romance novels cringeworthy.

if i have to have a minor criticism, though, the "denning up" scenes towards the end got a little repetitive.

all in all, this story had me captivated the entire way through. i'll definitely be sure to check out other books by this author!