I only finished this because I want to read The Ascended and because the sequel (Duskbound) is supposed to be very good.

It was decent up until the FMC (Fia) started training in the Compound (about halfway through). I expected the story to pick up from there, but nothing exciting happened. We didn't get to see much of her training beyond some running and other nonsense like holding her breath or fighting with a blindfold (apparently, that was enough for her to master hand-to-hand combat 🙃).

The characters were a major letdown. The FMC was constantly way too dramatic, exaggerating everything she felt, thought, and did to the point of being cringey. The MMC had no personality beyond smirking all the time and acting superior. Her best friend was annoying and selfish, and her fellow recruits were clearly just added to become her friends—which happened way too fast. Overall, most of the characters acted like teenagers instead of the adults they were supposed to be (Fia is apparently 22 or 23).

The romance also felt forced. It didn't make sense for her to fall in love with Laryk when he didn't really do anything to earn it. Plus, he never seemed to feel more for her than just sexual attraction.

There was almost no plot. The threat of the Wraiths felt weak; no one seemed genuinely concerned. The story also included two balls, two parties, and a nightclub scene that were completely irrelevant.

The ending was actually interesting, and it seems there will be a new MMC in book 2, so I’m hoping Fia leaves Laryk behind and gets a real love interest now 😆.