I’ve been waiting with bated breath to read this book ever since the shock ending of Glass Sword! (For those who haven’t read it, avert your eyes and finish it quickly so you know what’s going on) I knew it would have to be amazing, thanks to the incredible plot set up by its predecessors, but what I didn’t expect was how heavy and intense of a story line it would be.

Mare’s captivity under Maven’s tyrannous thumb was always going to be hard to read but I felt like it took me forever to get through this book because I had to take frequent breaks – there’s a lot of strong emotions bubbling at the surface of this novel, for Mare, her friends and her foes and at times it just got to be too much. It was very cleverly written in that I wanted to keep turning pages to find out what was going to happen next but I personally felt there was little to no relief from the constant turmoil our brave hero experiences.

That being said, the plot overall was rich and engrossing. As well as combing through Mare’s struggles as Maven’s prisoner, we’re given also given insight into the Scarlet Guard’s activities during her captivity and boy, oh boy was that an interesting ride as well! If you haven’t read this amazing novel yet, pick up a copy ASAP!