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lastblossom's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy!
tl;dr
One of my favorite reads of the year! Great mix of magic and romance featuring powerful wizards and an incredibly sexy love interest. MC's character development lags in comparison to everything else.
About
Leyna wants to help people, and it's been her life goal to join the Royal Guard. After an accident right before graduation, it looks like she may not get that chance. But to her surprise, an offer to join the Royal Guard appears anyway, and soon she and her friends are whisked off to the castle to join the king's elite. But Leyna's dream job turns out to not be as dreamy as she expected, with traitors in their midst, forbidden magic brewing, the enigmatic court jester focusing on her for reasons unknown.
Thoughts
Dang, where to begin! There's a lot to like in here, especially for fans of magical schools and romance, who want something a step more adult. Most stories about magical academies end at graduation, so I was delighted to see that this story picks up from there. It's great to see our main cast are already competent spell casters with forged friendships and plans and history. The MC and her friends are already 22! Awesome. Was pleased to see that both MC's friends have their own things going on outside her existence, and that they're both more capable than she is in various respects. It's also a really great exploration of how dreams and reality don't always match up, as the MC discovers her dream job isn't nearly as noble as she imagined. World building is light, but with clear rules and an intriguing twist on the origins of magic that I really hope to see explored further in the second book.
As for the romance? Well, our mysterious LI is absolutely a winner. If you're looking for a roguish charmer with Just So Many Secrets along with some slow burn (MC) and guy falls first (LI), I've got great news for you. There's a lot of relentless teasing, plenty of mysteries, and a couple spicy lovemaking scenes that easily put this book in my top picks for the year.
I think the biggest downside of this book is that the MC doesn't get nearly as much character growth as she deserves. She's a hard worker, she has admirable dreams, she wants to put good into the world, and I like how seriously she takes things. But notably, she's also fairly classist, and weirdly lawful. She's hung up on using correct titles, to the point where she's aghast that her friend (who isn't nobility), keeps forgetting. She refuses to help her friends break innocents out of jail, because it's against the law. But unlike the "I believe in the justice system!" types who attempt to save innocent people through legal means (court battles, appeals, finding the true killer, etc.), she also seems reluctant to do anything on that front too. Her attitudes by the end of the book start to shift, and the cliffhanger ending implies a turnaround for her in book two, which I eagerly await. But in this volume, her development kind of lags, which is a shame considering how much I love absolutely everything else. It's still a strong recommend from me, and I hope to see her grow more in book two!
tl;dr
One of my favorite reads of the year! Great mix of magic and romance featuring powerful wizards and an incredibly sexy love interest. MC's character development lags in comparison to everything else.
About
Leyna wants to help people, and it's been her life goal to join the Royal Guard. After an accident right before graduation, it looks like she may not get that chance. But to her surprise, an offer to join the Royal Guard appears anyway, and soon she and her friends are whisked off to the castle to join the king's elite. But Leyna's dream job turns out to not be as dreamy as she expected, with traitors in their midst, forbidden magic brewing, the enigmatic court jester focusing on her for reasons unknown.
Thoughts
Dang, where to begin! There's a lot to like in here, especially for fans of magical schools and romance, who want something a step more adult. Most stories about magical academies end at graduation, so I was delighted to see that this story picks up from there. It's great to see our main cast are already competent spell casters with forged friendships and plans and history. The MC and her friends are already 22! Awesome. Was pleased to see that both MC's friends have their own things going on outside her existence, and that they're both more capable than she is in various respects. It's also a really great exploration of how dreams and reality don't always match up, as the MC discovers her dream job isn't nearly as noble as she imagined. World building is light, but with clear rules and an intriguing twist on the origins of magic that I really hope to see explored further in the second book.
As for the romance? Well, our mysterious LI is absolutely a winner. If you're looking for a roguish charmer with Just So Many Secrets along with some slow burn (MC) and guy falls first (LI), I've got great news for you. There's a lot of relentless teasing, plenty of mysteries, and a couple spicy lovemaking scenes that easily put this book in my top picks for the year.
I think the biggest downside of this book is that the MC doesn't get nearly as much character growth as she deserves. She's a hard worker, she has admirable dreams, she wants to put good into the world, and I like how seriously she takes things. But notably, she's also fairly classist, and weirdly lawful. She's hung up on using correct titles, to the point where she's aghast that her friend (who isn't nobility), keeps forgetting. She refuses to help her friends break innocents out of jail, because it's against the law. But unlike the "I believe in the justice system!" types who attempt to save innocent people through legal means (court battles, appeals, finding the true killer, etc.), she also seems reluctant to do anything on that front too. Her attitudes by the end of the book start to shift, and the cliffhanger ending implies a turnaround for her in book two, which I eagerly await. But in this volume, her development kind of lags, which is a shame considering how much I love absolutely everything else. It's still a strong recommend from me, and I hope to see her grow more in book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Classism, Racism, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, and Violence
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