3.8 ⭐️s

This is such an interesting start to the series! The immense detail used in the world building, it truly brought the tale to life for me, I felt like I was there. While the magic system is complicated, I think it was explained enough for me to know what’s going on and still be curious to learn more.

The main lacking for me is the characters. While I truly like Alina’s character, the big issue I have with her is that she never seems to act on her own… she’s always just doing what she’s told, and that she doesn’t seem to have any motivation of her own that isn’t attached to one of the male leads. It’s not until the very end that she actually acts on her own, which was a triumphant moment, but it’s again only motivated by one of the male leads. My hope for her is that she’ll find her own desires and path in future books.

Now, onto our male leads… Of course my favorite is the Darking. He’s intelligent and headstrong, when he’s talking people are listening. The ancient-ness of him comes across well in the way he speaks and the way he’s portrayed as being so isolated from the other grisha. He just makes me want to know more about him.