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marianneereads 's review for:

4.0

Really good book that kept me captivated until the very end.

It's atmospheric, set mostly travelling through the snowy magical woods in search of something of great power. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, these reluctant allies on different sides of the "war" who must rely on each other to survive.

I love that Evike and Gaspar both have a lot of things to internalize and think about, and you can see the effect they have on each other throughout the story. It's a delicious enemies to lovers slow burn, with lots of pining and angst. Right up my alley.

The story is a slow-moving pace, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Between learning more about the world and the magic systems, hearing stories, or seeing more about the characters, I was thoroughly entertained.

Evike has to be one of my recent favorite characters. She's completely unhinged. She isn't the chosen one, just a girl who was unfortunately put in this situation. She's impulsive and reckless, but always tries to lead with her heart. Evike is imperfect and I loved her for that.

I only have a few complaints. Firstly, I think this book could have done much better as a duology. This book could have focused entirely on the Quest part, while a second one could have dived deep into the political conflict. I think this story was wrapped up too neatly, which resulted in me being a bit underwhelmed at the very end.

I also wish we could have had Gaspar's point of view, if only because I didn't understand a few of his choices, and Evike's opinion of him doesn't let us see what he thinks.

All in all, I do think this is a solid debut that kept me up late, and I'm looking forward to read more from Ava Reid.

I also highly recommend the audiobook, the narrator has a spectacular voice.