I would like to thank NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC in return for an honest review. Carissa Broadbent remains one of my favourite authors at present, with a writing style so beautifully descriptive that I cannot get enough of her work to satiate my needs. It is the type of writing that hooks an individual from beginning to end, with a continuous itch to keep going until you've reached the end. I adore the way she develops her world, varying from political intrigue and wars to divine beings and the glorious lands that they rule over. Not only that, but Carissa writes main-characters that you connect with deeply and side-characters that you care for just as much. Mische and Asar are two very broken people who have placed their faith in the wrong places and gotten hurt. They show you that no matter your flaws; you deserve love and you can still do good in the world if given the chance and the tools. I adore them both completely, saviour complexes and all. Their relationship development from book one is formidable, and Asar is definitely a main male character who knows how to both yearn and worship... perhaps why he is my favourite. Many side-characters were re-introduced in this book, though it never felt claustrophobic as each individual had their time to shine. I feel as though the beginning was hectic, something I feel is done within Carissa's second books often. Almost as if the entire plot had to be laid out then and there, instead of letting the reader get to grips with how the first had ended and how this one continues. The plot was quite similar to the first, though I found how it was done kept it different and interesting enough. This book was also very bittersweet; I teared up and cried more than I would like to admit, and I very much look forward to seeing where that Epilogue will take us next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had everything that I could ask for. There was a really well-built political system which was a heavy focus throughout the book - and will continue to be so throughout the series it seems - and it is shown how this system already has and can affect the main characters. The main characters, Lee and Annie are wonderfully created. Their backstories are beautifully intertwined and brutal, they are flawed individuals and they have their quirks that you pick up on. Another important thing is that they do not act like your typical ‘whiny’ YA protagonists, they are extremely likeable and you find yourself routing for them both. I was captivated from start to end, despite it being a little slow to start - it had promise and it definitely delivered.