”And I understood finally that a nation is a house with no windows or doors at all. That no matter what I did - no matter how much blood I spilled in its defense or ink I spent in its praise - it would never, ever be my home.”

dominion can only survive if its citizens buy into the imperialist project; they have to believe that dominion should exist, and has a divine right to exist. to control the people and their cultural consciousness, there must be a “genesis” - an origin story that justifies dominion’s treatment of its enemies. how apt, then, that owen has to step into the role of dominion’s savior despite the fact that dominion and its citizens have rejected him wholly, time and time again. a man whose heritage makes him an outsider, and whose heart makes him dominion’s only hope.

the messaging in this book is so much bigger than i was expecting - yes, i love a romance, but i am so much more invested in a story that shows the deep nuances of nationality and home. what we sacrifice to have a national identity, and what we ignore to make that identity a reality. this is my first read from this author and i am genuinely so, so impressed.

the concept of rocky wearing clothes is hysterical to me for some reason