~~Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!~~

3.5/5 stars rounded down.

I think this book will be a big hit with its intended audience when it officially releases next year. I think it will be deserving of that, but I don't think I'll be sharing in that enthusiasm.

Not that I think the book is bad by any means. Mance and Silver were great main characters in their own right, and I always think it's incredible when an author manages to distinct two different character POVs so well, especially in a debut. Their banter was genuinely good at times, and I found it very sweet with the forwardness Mance displayed in certain scenes (If you know you know) despite the very obvious lack of experience she had. Plus, the betrayal elements were built up well, particularly because the contrast shown in both POVs, where Silver is drowning in guilt with all he's doing, despite being initially oblivious to what he was doing, and Mance gradually coming to trust him completely despite it all. It made for some excellent tension and angst.

The things holding me back are the worldbuilding and the humor. The worldbuilding, particularly the realm/kingdom structure, is condensed heavily in the beginning, and the knowledge barely stuck with me throughout the rest of the story. I dunno, it was just hard for me to visualize much of the world. But I did really like the magical glass trees. As for the humor - it was good except when its timed poorly in dire situations. Like, a meager battle happened because of Mance's dad's manipulations where many a-casualties freshly occurred, and Silver was making jokes in the prose and dialogue about getting to her. I found that very awkward and poorly timed, even if it was to relieve some tension, but, again, time and place.

I dunno if I'm going to read the next book. The ending left me a bit curious to what Taylor has planned next, but whether I will commit to that curiosity is the question. I think I'll be waiting until the synopsis/cover for Book #2 comes out next year, but, until then, I will be saying this was a good read for people to check out for themselves.

2025 reads: 31/300

2025 tbr: 13/111

i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. this did not affect my rating.

content warnings: animal death, child abuse (forced to train as soldiers, punishment resulting from this), abusive parent

mancella cliff yearns for a life without bloodshed. as the heir to the throne, though, this is not possible. to strengthen her power, her father forces her to kill animals with her bare hands.

silver is a thief struggling to survive in a world torn by mancella’s father’s reign. when he receives a chance to rob the castle, he sees it as an opportunity to have a real future and get his revenge. as the two work toward their own goals—silver with the heist, mancella with saving her realm—they must decide how much they’re willing to give.

this seemed like such an interesting book. i’ve never read a book featuring powers like mancella’s. (on that note, if you are highly sensitive to animal cruelty/death, i would avoid this book.) i also typically like when there’s a thief/rebel who ends up falling for the royal they were sent to take down. while i did end up enjoying these aspects of the book, unfortunately, the plot just did not do it for me. it was okay, but pretty basic, so it didn’t quite captivate me like i’d hoped it would. with that said, i can see the author’s potential. i’d be willing to give her another try should she write more books.

narration: there were two narrators, brenda scott wlazlo and jake chronister, to reflect the dual pov in the book. i thought the narrators did a good job of narrating this book!