(spoiler free) The end portion of this book made my cry for a good 100 pages. I feel so empty leaving this world behind. This book (acknowledging the touch of drama here) changed my life. The moral of this story and the complexity of the characters were so fresh and different to anything I've read in this genre for a very very long time.

Despite crying so much I thought I would puke, the ending was beautiful and realistic and not tied up in a bow like lots of others. It ends. It's gut wrenching. But there is also hope. And what more could you want from a fantasy book?

The political machinations were so engaging and the multiple points of view in this book added so much to the stakes and the unpredictability of the ending. There were multiple players on the board at a time rather than just bad guy/good guy and it added so much weight to all of the decisions and deaths that came.

The writing in this was just as, if not more, witty as in the first book. I've highlighted so many beautiful and charming phrases, and hilarious ones too! There is comeuppance and also empathy for the villains and I love the acknowledgement that there is grey in all people.

Full disclosure I got to 70% of this book and sensed some heartbreak coming so re-read from the beginning to both savour the prose and also the romantic tension. Highly recommend, although it was a way of putting off the inevitable which is probably highly unhealthy.

Will read again. Will cry again.

This was an absolute breath of fresh air after reading book after book of fantasy worlds that seem to have been constructed with the sole purpose of getting two romantic interests in the same room. The writing is witty, the world building is lush and complex, with a blend of real Arabic and Egyptian foods/clothing/language and fictional ones. Every character in this book is unique and layered, and has clear morals and motivations for their behaviour that don't change on a whim.

While this isn't a romance for the sake of romance, it has to be said that the romance in this is gorgeous. Both characters have unique voices and have the hatred and resentment that would naturally come with their people actively despising each other for centuries. The guessing game of whether they will actually get together continues alongside genuine and realistic obstacles. The tension is gorgeous and the sequel (The Jasad Crown) is filled with longing and yearning hotter than any actual smut writing I've read. The payoff is really truly worth the read.

Neither of the main characters are naive about their wants and desires, there's no miscommunication, just truly inescapable barriers that they take seriously. The supporting characters are nicely fleshed out in this and they become more complex and significant in the sequel. The magic has clear rules and there are no improbable or impossible wins over mighty foes, everything is as realistic as it can be in a fantasy world with magic.

It's beautiful. Truly a unique book of the genre written with genuine skill and love for the written word.