Fearing for her life, an outcast princess joins the rebellion against her own kingdom and family. . . but when playing with fire, someone always gets burned. Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone. When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own. Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed. But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead?
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"Teia would survive this, just as she had everything else. She would take her fear and wield it as a weapon."
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Tiffany Wang, and Blindery Books for the E-ARC!
If you liked The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller you need to pick up this book! A book filled with politics, heists, unlikely allies, and a morally grey FMC, this is a must-read.
Teia is a Princess without any of the bonuses, with assassination attempts done to her by her own half-brother, Jura. She's tired of living in his shadow, her hand promised in marriage by Jura to a man who's known to have killed his previous wives. That's why when Teia hears that Jura will give a favour to any person who brings him a key member of a rebel group called the Dawnbreakers, she knows what she has to do. When she finally finds this group though, her plans go out the window and she's forced to enact a heist she thinks is almost impossible to succeed.
This book was a bit slow going for me at the start (the fact I've been in a reading slump didn't help), but when it picks up, it's impossible to put down. I went from being only 17% in to finishing the rest in one sitting. Safe to say, I think it's gotten me out of the slump I was in. As you get into the book, there are so many things going on, mountains of schemes and alliances, new enemies and allies, and Teia is at the center of everything.
Speaking of Teia, I absolutely adored her as the protagonist. A morally grey character who just wants what's best for her. She doesn't care for the needs of other's and isn't afraid to use or even blackmail them if it helps her with her personal causes. She's intelligent, brutal and doesn't waiver from what she wants. I loved experiencing her journey throughout the story as she meets new people and takes on challenge after challenge.
I really hope there'll be a second book to this, because I really want to read more from these characters and the universe! I highly recommend picking this up if you enjoy fantasy, adventure, heists and plots upon plots.
0It is neither great or awful, it just simply is. For YA I do think it is fine, since it doesn't go too in depth about certain aspects, but since it's lacking in areas I wanted more of (the whole plotting and scheming and politicking) I feel rather neutral about this. I also went into this thinking it would be a standalone, so for it to end as it did...
Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the eArc!
0I thought this was a good quick read! I loved the world and the small amount of magic inhibiting it and I love the characters and their relationships. I’m excited for the next one!
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