Published May 3rd 2016 by HarperTeen

Ruined, ruined me.

So, I’ll be honest and mention that the book didn’t truly hold me captive until around page 200 when the action picked up; upon reaching that point I couldn’t put it down! I’m not sure if it was the humor interfering with the serious atmosphere that bothered me, or if the humor keeping the atmosphere light is what kept me reading until page 200…?

I definitely liked both main characters and reading from their different POV’s! Cas is an absolute sweetheart and Em’s character felt very honest. Em inhabited such raw emotions within herself that drove every action she took towards helping her people and ensuring the release of her sister. However, Em’s thirst for revenge wasn’t so all-consuming that we didn’t see bits and pieces of a genuine personality shining through her inner turmoil. Emelina had moments of self-doubt, she allowed people to assist her in her missions as long as she could assure their safety, she wasn’t always fearless but was passionate about seeking reason and justice, she wasn’t pitiless, and even she couldn’t control falling in love, especially when giving her best efforts to avoid it. These qualities show vulnerability yet power and when placed together they create a remarkable heroine who deserves more credit than she’s bound to get. Em was definitely an unexpected and refreshing character. I also reallyyyy appreciated that Em isn’t some “Chosen One” princess with the magic her sister has, yet doesn’t let herself be defined by being ordinary either, she just does what she can with what she has. She’s simply a nice change to the characters I’ve been reading about of late. Cas wasn’t your typical playboy prince who sneers at the idea of picking one girl to love. He was shy and sincere (and pretty awkward there in the beginning) and behaved how you would expect a young prince to behave considering the situations he was thrown into. I sympathize with him for being caught in a very messy web of loyalties and ethical debates over the actions of his parents, but he could have also been a little more forceful and stopped allowing people to push him around so much. I got frustrated during certain scenes and wanted to yell at him to put his big boy pants on! But you can tell there is hope for his character because of the way he listens to everyone before forming his own opinion. He starts off the book being very aloof but even by the end of it you see him starting to take a stand for what he believes in. It might be nice to witness Casimir grow into a strong male lead.

Cas and Em’s relationship was sweet, but lacked the passion they contributed in other areas of the book. I know everything can’t be rushed into one book, so I assume if Cas and Em are to continue being together then the author will include more depth and growth between the pair later on. At this point though, I’m not even sure if them staying together is an option. By the end of the book it seems pretty impossible that it will ever workout, but I won’t spoil why!

Lots of unexpected things happen in this book. There are unexpected deaths and unexpected behavior from certain characters. I was surprised and pleased by many of the daring choices the author made. I loved how there really is no villain and nothing is black/white. Everyone’s done something to hurt the other side, so the conflict continues escalating in the name of revenge and self-preservation. It’s not super deep or anything, but it makes things more realistic that at this point besides the main characters I really don’t know who to like and trust. Loyalties are split in a considerable amount of groups of people and those that are friends still gave you moments of doubt and distrust. This is a dangerous position to be in as I hope to eventually like some of the characters, but know that the author could twist it at any moment and make me change my mind while breaking my heart at the same time. I will tread carefully and try to not get too attached! But will probably fail miserably and be left crying thanks to Amy Tintera.

The world itself seemed a little confused and complex at times. I was left with many questions about each group of people and the different societies they maintain. I think it’s probably due to the fact that we are dealing with more than the classic two enemy nations. We are dealing with at least three plus all the extra individuals who agree with the Prince and Em, The I think Amy Tintera will really make or break her universe in the second installment. She will either provide clarification where there is confusion and then continue to grow her world into something awesome…. Or things well get even messier and harder to follow.

Lastly, my absolute favorite thing about this book is that men and women are EQUAL!! No one ever questioned if women should be warriors or whether or not they made as good as warriors as men. They had women leading and listened to them when they offered their advice or opinions. It was perfection. Enough said.