Trying to sort my feelings on this entry in the series...on one hand, I haaaated the romance between Hawke and Sierra. On the other, it really kicks the war into gear and SO MUCH stuff happens on the macro plot level, which is the driving force behind why I'm still reading this series so voraciously.

No matter how much the narrative and every other character says Sienna is adult and mature and had to grow up fast, or that she can "handle" how alpha Hawke is, it doesn't change the fact that she's 19 pushing 20 and he's what, in his 30s? At the youngest? He became the pack alpha at 22, and it's taken a decade for the pack to stabilize, so he's 32 at LEAST. Add the dynamics of Sienna being a soldier in a pack where he's her alpha, and the Sexy Dominant Alpha Male trope that's the bread and butter of the romances, and it all gets gross for me.

Wild that Lara and Walker got their own mini romance plot in this...but I liked that a lot more than Hawke and Sienna. I suppose having more of a focus on Walker was important, in the end.

The reveal of Sienna's power and how it's "fixed" by the end...so that's a thing. It's going to be veeeery interesting seeing that come into play in the future.

Which leads me to THE MACRO PLOT!!! War is finally here, bitches! SO MUCH happened in terms of finally kick starting the war. The alliances that have been building up for the last 4-5 books have really come into play. It's wonderful seeing everything come together like this, and incredibly satisfying.

I died at the reveal that Alice fucking Eldridge was in cryogenic sleep and is alive now. WTF??? Would the 2nd manuscript have been TOO deus ex machina-ey for Sienna, so the author just decided to have Alice herself come back instead?? I'm so here for these wild-ass shenanigans.

Loved all the pack interactions, and seeing the huge cast of characters I've grown to enjoy over these 10 books interact and come together to defend their home.

And the baby!!!