Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in return for an honest review!

CW: Severe PTSD episodes, murder, gore, death of a loved one, severe cigarette addiction.

I loved this, I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope, I loved the rich Korean mythology that this book is oozing with. The world crafted is so vivid and descriptive, when the characters were walking through a new area it was easy to imagine myself alongside them!

This story is a tale of grief and learning how to live alongside it. Not getting over it, "curing" yourself of grief, but the journey to take to acceptance. And that journey isn’t quick, or painless at all. It’s slow, and mixed with Lina’s debilitating PTSD, it’s a very bumpy road but I think it’s written well personally.

I’ve not been reading many straight romance stories recently, but honestly this one was a stand out. I really loved the emphasis about consent in the relationship, especially considering the context of well, them wanting to murder each other initially. It felt like they did actually have chemistry, albeit perhaps a bit rushed? They did certainly have a good vibe together though, both caring for each other, both wanting to help each other.

On that last point, I really wish this book was even just a bit longer. Everything felt like it happened really fast, which yeah this book doesn’t cover many days honestly. I cannot wait for the next book though, the ending to this one felt nice and solid enough for me to not hurt too much for the wait, but also at the same time I need to see where these ending emotions will take the characters!