*SEMI SPOILERY*
I went into this book with pretty high hopes, but I came away feeling a bit mixed. There were things I really enjoyed, but also a lot that didn’t quite land for me.
The strongest part of the book for me was the magic system. It felt brutal, clever and really original, probably the freshest take on magic I’ve read in a long time. The prologue set such a dark, sharp tone and the middle of the book, when the characters were uncovering what was really going on, was gripping. Those were the moments that had me hooked.
But the story as a whole was uneven. The pacing dragged in parts, especially towards the end and I didn’t find the climax as satisfying as I’d hoped. The conclusion felt a bit too open-ended given how much the book built up to that point.
The themes of sexism, misogyny and discrimination are right at the centre of this story. While I appreciated what it was trying to say, I found the delivery heavy-handed at times, like it was ticking boxes rather than letting the message come through naturally. Some characters felt more like caricatures than people, which pulled me out of the story. Sciona could also be a bit frustrating, though I really liked Thomil and wished we’d had more of his perspective or even Carra’s.
Overall, I think this book will hit harder for readers who haven’t come across these ideas in fantasy before, but for me it lacked the subtlety and originality I was hoping for. It’s not a bad book by any means, the magic alone is worth checking out, but it wasn’t the standout I expected.
⭐️3/5 stars Didn’t quite live up to the hype for me!
