Reviews

I had a lot of thoughts about this book. It absolutely needed a sensitivity reader, first off. You have two girls who grew up in an orphanage. Nox, who is darker and a little older and Amaris, who is pure white like snow. Amaris is destined to join a brothel and instead of going there she escapes and joins a group of assassins. She is accepted by these assassins and loved and gains a family who supports her 100%. If she has any bad thoughts or feelings she has the luxury of just sticking those feelings into a box in her head and thus forgetting about them (which is not a healthy coping mechanism and it bothered me a lot that the author chose to use that as a coping mechanism for Amaris).

Then you have Nox, who is the only person of color through most of the book. She is sent to the brothel instead of Amaris. She gets no support and has no friends whatsoever. She is manipulated and abused through the entirety of the book. She also spends the whole book pining after Amaris, who in turn does not even think about Nox. At least not with the same fervor that Nox thinks about Amaris.

Some of the story also felt forced. Nicknames were one thing that felt off throughout the entire book and I felt they were unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story. It's like the author felt that the nicknames would add something to the storytelling and in this case it did not work. The banter between Amaris and anyone else also felt forced and just fell flat when she was bickering with one man or another.

The end of the book didn't make much sense to me either. This group of skilled assassins just decides that an 18 year old girl with no real world experience would be the best emissary for them to send to a ruling monarch. The reasoning was that her secret powers (who no one but their leader knows about) make her the best candidate and she can fix things if they go south. And all the men just go along with this idea without knowing what exactly she can do. It was just weird for me and felt like an immature thought process that didn't fully form.

I do know that all of this has been addressed by the author and she made a video explaining her side of the story and her thought process. This is the only reason I will read the next book. I am hoping that the author takes all of this constructive criticism and uses it to make this story great. Because it has the potential to be a really great story. But this one just fell flat.

elisecelery's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely loved this book. It has been YEARS since I was able to read a book in its entirety, but this one pulled me right in and reignited my love for reading. Additionally, it not only holds up on reread, but has more depth the farther you get in the series. Conversations and descriptions that seemed like flavor text on the first read through all foreshadow future events in a way that feels completely natural while adding so much depth.

The characters feel extremely human and relatable as they deal with trauma and unpacking the problematic views of the society that raised them. They are imperfect and show growth throughout the series, without any of it feeling forced. I cried and laughed with them throughout.

Because I've seen mixed feedback on some of the major themes, I want to put a summary of them below. I've tried to keep it general and informational.

___Thematic Spoilers - no specifics___
- Systemic Racism: One of the major themes is unlearning problematic beliefs after being raised in a racist society. There are a few instances of said racism being clearly shown, but the focus is on the characters who are both affected and actively unlearning said beliefs.

- Sex: The author is "anti-whorephobic". If you don't like those themes, this isn't the series for you. The first book is RELATIVELY spice free, but there are more scenes as the series progresses. That said, they are pretty plot relevant. I normally don't read a lot of spicy things so I can't comment beyond that.