Gather, coven!!

Desperation and stupidity. That was how I’d come to characterize humanity over the last several hundred years. But what I saw in that tavern…yes, both of those things. There was something else, too. It looked suspiciously like hope.

This book? Slayed.

I lowkey expected this to be the usual KU romantasy slop (which I still consume eagerly, mind you), but I was surprised by how fresh this felt despite being yet another "trials" book. The overall world building vibes reminded me of a less gothic Anathema but not quite as dark—but it was still dark enough to feel engaging and high-stakes. There's one scene in particular that comes to mind that felt especially gory but was so well-written and perfect for the narrative that I was just like DAMN!!!

I love books that revel in traditional "witchiness." Books where the FMC being a witch doesn't just mean she can do spells and shit, but she also has pointy nails and cackles and is part of a coven and is kind of evil. A real witchy witch. And this book had that! I loved the tension the whole time between Koryn's devotion to her (again...kind of evil) coven sisters and her unconscious desire to cling to her humanity.

“I think you have tried so hard, for so long, to be bad, that you do not even recognize when you are doing good.” But I did not need Garrick to think I was good. I only needed him to see who and what I was, and stand by my side anyway.

As far as the romance goes, I would call this a slow burn (unless you're one of those people that thinks a slow burn means they can't get together at all in book 1, in which case no, this is not a slow burn). For me, I judge slow burn-ness by what point in the book I think to myself "UGH WHEN ARE THEY GONNA BANG???" That happened quite late in this book for me, making it a slow burn by my standards.

He opened his hand, revealing a single key. “There could be a thousand rooms available and we would still be sharing. My place is at your side, Koryn. Or have you already forgotten?”

One thing I loved in particular about this book was how the author wrote about Koryn's body and her relationship to it. Anyone who reads a lot of romantasy knows that there is a certain FMC body type that exists in almost all of these books and feels impossible to escape—and that body type is super skinny girly that's somehow strong as hell and also has perfect knockers. Koryn isn't that. She frequently describes herself as having a soft stomach with rolls and thick, squishy thighs. She is barely passable with a sword and isn't exactly an assassin doing backflips into a split. She gets winded walking up hills and hates hiking. And as a reader who also has stomach rolls and thick, squishy thighs, gets winded walking up hills, and hates hiking....well, I really liked that. Koryn's body isn't a point of focus in the book. This isn't all some inner journey she's on about accepting who she is and learning that she's still beautiful and powerful despite not being skinny. It's not overly sexualized. Her body just...is what it is. It's a vessel for her magic and her story. She's not trying to change it, and she's not dwelling on it. To me, it struck that sweet spot of body neutrality that I don't think I've ever seen in a romantasy before. It's a book that manages to have a curvy FMC without it being about her secretly hating herself or turning her into a sex object (if you were on Twitter in 2017 and remember I Love My Curvy Wife guy, you may be entitled to financial compensation). Koryn just...exists without apology in a body that sounds kind of like mine, and I thought that was pretty awesome.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so excited for book 2 to come out later this month!!

I deserved more and I would take it. I will fucking take it.

P.S. According to the author's Instagram, book 2 will be WHY CHOOSE. Book 1 was definitely not that, so if having that in the sequel will be a turnoff for you, best to skip this one altogether!