He swept her up, his hands wrapped around her thighs, lifting her up, and he slammed her back into the wall. He laughed when he realised she had his dagger pressed to his throat.
"Well this feels familiar, and very hot"
"I loathe you" She pressed it against his skin, drawing a few drops of blood.

Cecilia is a memory witch, and daughter of the highly esteemed and revered Huntmaster of Olney. Determined and tenacious, Cecilia fights for her place in court, training ruthlessly alongside the men under her father's command, preparing herself to complete the Gauntlet and bring back the power of the lost god. However, living in a world ruled by the patriarchy, she constantly has to battle the expectations forced upon her, and women across the kingdom, terrified and angry of the future that awaits her after completing the Gauntlet, that she'll be expected to settle down and only have worth in being a mother and wife but Cecilia wants more from life, she wants to fight and make her own destiny. Grappling for years with her unrequited love for her loyal best friend and bonded bodyguard Rainer, she longs for the independence and ability to take up space and find a person for love, rather than societal pressures. So when a handsome, mysterious and deliciously devious hunter gives her a glimpse, and taste of the adventure and all consuming passion she's ached for, she finds it hard to step away. However, with tensions between both Olney and their rival kingdom Argaria finally coming to a head, thanks to the meddling gods, Cecilia, Rainer and her handsome hunter Xander, find themselves thrust into the deepest depths of danger within enemy territory, and Cecilia now finds herself desperate to finish the gauntlet and bring back the god that can end this brutal and ruthless war once and for all.

Cecilia is an absolute powerhouse, a memory witch whose ambition and resilience refuses to be squashed by anyone, but especially men who long to push their idealised views and expectations upon her. She fights harder than anyone to claim their place amongst her father's hunters, trains twice as hard but is just as vicious, finding the thrill of taking on a foe addicting. Cecilia is gritty, determined and empowering, forging her own path in a world that doesn't agree with her, refusing to bow to others suffocating beliefs on what she should be doing. Underneath this stoic and fierce façade she has a gentle heart, finding comfort in re-connecting with her childlike wonder, creating stories and spending time with Rainer is like warm blanket to her, giving herself a sense of relief and peace in such a war-torn, misogynistic world. However, as the story progresses she finds herself trapped in grief, pain, deep betrayals and an intense love triangle that pulls her heart in two different directions. My only concern was that I felt like she began to lose her edge near the end, she stuck less to her convictions, and I just couldn't connect with her as well. It was beautiful to see her allowing herself space to be vulnerable, embracing not only her powers but also her feelings, you can truly feel her grief and loss palpably through the pages, and feel how much all of the loss and heartache she's experienced throughout her journey has deeply impacted her mental health, which I thought was touched on beautifully, and showed such a deeply insightful and moving perspective on Cecilia.

Rainer, Cecilia's bodyguard, and best friend, is a gentle giant who cares deeply for her, but is meticulous and deeply rule abiding, determined to never put her in a place of danger, even if that means he has to bury his feelings deep within him, and find release in casual flings. However, his need to abide by the rules often means he comes across as obtuse at times, and aloof, he's a hard one to pin down, and at points he definitely made me want to throw my book across the room, but the tensions between him and Cecilia was insanely good. I found that I could never quite tell whether I adored this man, or wanted to slap him, he's this big strong stoic warrior, but he comes across as a coward to me, he hides behind his feelings, but still projects his jealousy and anger whenever any other man looks Cecilia's way, which made me rage, you can't push someone away and then get mad when she falls into the arms of someone else.

His only redeeming (I say this lightly) quality is that he does finally begin to get a backbone near the end but only because he thought he'd lost her. I'm hoping he's gonna have some personality growth in the next one because this man got on my nerves a lot.

Xander, the devious, mischievous, downright cheeky, and so deliciously hot it's unreal.

She pressed the tip of her dagger into his neck "You are magnificent" he laughed.



This man doesn't shy away from saying exactly what he feels and takes exactly what he wants, no matter the consequences. He's devilish, and arrogant but he holds it well (boy does he hold it well), and he manages to bring out a darker, more feral, side to Cecilia, one that makes her feel alive, and gives her a thrill she's never experienced before. It was SCORCHING to watch their banter and tension unfold. Xander is a genuine feminist king, who respects consent (!!)and who is the literal definition of a cinnamon roll simp for his girl, this man doesn't just fall he CRASHES in love with Cece, and he's got some exceptionally swoony one loners but be aware that some of them are more on the cringe side.

I'm not normally a love triangle girlie, because I can never choose, and I feel like whoever they pick someone loses and I hate that. Rainer and Xander are two very different love interests, who each bring something different to Cecilia's life. Rainer is like her personal comfort blanket, sturdy, reliable, and soothing to both her inner child and her adult self, but his refusal to acknowledge the feelings blossoming between them has created a divide that can never quite be breached. Whereas, Xander ignites her soul, is forthright and unashamed to shout his feelings for the whole world to hear, he gives her the space to give in to her darkest desires, and be free and unhindered, he doesn't coddle her every move, but actually allows her to flourish and thrive, and honestly gets a little turned on by her feisty, violent side.

"I think the way you rode in and shot that hunter through the eye on horseback was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

I mean just look at that quote.... He sees her for who she is, completely and it gives her a new perspective on love.

I really thought this would be a five star read when I started it, because it had so much potential, like I was swooning and giddy, but it changed for me quite quickly. This isn't a slow burn romance, which is what I always hope for, Xander particularly has no brakes, he falls hard and fast, to the point where I was kind of taken aback by it, I wanted to slap him, and just tell him to chill the f out, it's been five minutes!!!! but the tension and banter does continue to be intense and giddying so that's one of the things that kept me hooked. I don't know if the intensity and all consuming quickness of Xander's falling for Cece is the thing that's making this book fall a little flat in the middle or what, but something began to slowly pull me out of the world and the story which was devastating. Things just slowly started to become tedious and repetitive near the end, it felt like it went on for longer than it needed to reach the desired conclusion. I'm honestly so upset that this didn't blow me away the way I hoped it would because it started off so so strong, and there are parts that have stuck with me after finishing, but I just felt like I was slogging along and the characters became a little annoying, their interactions more on the cringe than exciting side, and sometimes their dialogue or choices were way outside the personality that has been crafted throughout the story.


Now the good stuff! The world-building for this story was gorgeous, the magic, political intrigue and lore was astounding to read. You're seamlessly transported into this gloriously beautiful and lyrical world. full of characters that are so vibrant, and full of life and personality. Get ready for some scorching spice, with hidden identities, meddling gods, deep betrayals, a hunt for ancient magic, and two simping hot men falling over the strong take no bs, hold her own, feral and bad-ass FMC Cecilia. Definitely pick this one up if you love a deadly quest that takes you on a journey, with character growth, and a kind of insta-lovey triangle romance.