“History gorges itself on women raised high and then brought low by men grasping for their power.”

Expected more because of all the hype surrounding it, but honestly, it was a bit disappointing. I liked the world-building and the overall plot, but things took too long to actually happen and it felt too introductory. Although there is a vast cast of characters, only 2-3 of them were really interesting.

Sorasa is by far my favorite, she is complex and nuanced, by far the most clever among the group, and the one who actually solved most of the problems through the novel. Andrew is another favorite, mostly because he is lovable and loyal and I couldn't help but like him. Vartik and Sigil are interesting, but since they came into the group by the final third of the book, they have yet to show more about themselves. I wanted to see more of Rhida's POV, she also seems to be an interesting character, but again, we see very little of her. Erida...I had hopes for her at first. It's interesting to see from the POV of one of the antagonists, especially an ambitious young Queen, but she is annoying at times and surprisingly naive.

Corayne as an MC was very disappointing. She seemed promising at first, we see how clever and ingenious she is, but that seems to vanish through the story and she's mostly scared, naive, and basically a prop, only to be wielded when necessary. She doesn't add much in terms of habilities or smarts, and she lacks personality. Dom irritated me with his constant whining about how he is an Immortal who doesn't feel/gets hurt, and how he misses his friend, how he failed...the whole tortured act tires quickly. He is mostly brute force as well and even that seems to fail when needed - he gets punched more than he does the punching.

The ending to this one, especially the last chapter, was a bit anti-climatic and honestly, "cartoonish evil". The story is promising and I don't think it's a bad book at all, but in no way is as surprising and thrilling as the hype surrounding it made me believe. I am interested in seeing where the series is going and I hope there is a development in the next installments (especially in character and pacing).