I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fast-paced fantasy novel that I believe many fans of young adult or new adult fantasy would enjoy. I believe this book is technically considered a YA novel, but I personally would categorize it as part of the New Adult age range. I would absolutely recommend this to any reader who read the Shatter Me series and wanted more characters like Juliette. While Alessa definitely has her differences from Juliette, I think readers who enjoyed that series will find themselves captivated by this book.
I was super into this book for the first 60%, but it lost me at that point until the final battle, and it lost me again at the very end when it went from trying to wrap up the story being told to solely functioning to tell the reader exactly what the sequel would be about. Part of the reason why this novel lost me was that I wasn’t expecting it to wander into intense romance given the premise of the novel and so that wasn’t what I was looking to get from this story. The betrayal storyline during that latter half of the book also wasn’t my cup of tea and so I found myself bored and wanting to just get to the battle already.
The world-building of this novel is exquisite and I absolutely loved how immersed I felt in this world. Thiede absolutely captivates you with her descriptions and you feel for Alessa’s plight. I wish the side characters had a tad bit more development than what was provided but with such a large cast of characters, that balance can be difficult to strike. Alessa has so much heart and her development throughout the novel is a joy to read.