5 stars! 

Young Adult (YA) Fantasy / Fantasy Romance

When I read a great book, I always wonder and worry how I am going to write the right words to correctly explain how amazing it truly was. This book has left me speechless. It was so good! Readers of the A Court of Thorns of Roses series by Sarah J. Mass and The Cruel Prince trilogy by Holly Black will love this book, the characters and world. 

I have been in my adult romance book era for years now and I have been dabbling more in paranormal and dark romances lately so when I had the opportunity to read this book, I was worried how I would feel making a drastic change back to fantasy, specifically YA fantasy. (Which I LOVE but it’s been a while!) I shouldn’t have been worried though because this book grabbed my hand and led me back into my fantasy era without any issues. 

One thing I loved about his book, it is EASY to read. Oftentimes with fantasy books you get long names of characters and cities that you can’t pronounce and world building that is so heavy that it feels like a chore to get through it…taking away all the pleasure of reading. Not this book though. This book was clear and concise, names were easy to pronounce and understand and – holy plot twists – as soon as I thought the plot was throwing me off it would guide me easily back to what was happening and why. Maybe it’s because it’s a YA that it’s so easy to read and follow but let me tell you, I didn’t feel like I was reading a YA book. No, there isn’t full blown spice (going all the way) but there are steamy scenes with romance that fulfilled my need as a romance reader. 

The characters are complicated and well developed. Lexi does an amazing job of showing how the characters came to be and why they do the things that they do. You are not TOLD, you are shown especially through flashbacks, which were masterfully placed into the story, and also through dialogue. This book has two character groups that you follow through the eyes of two female characters, and I loved each perspective and story so much. As soon as I felt that I wanted to know more about one of the FMCs, the story would switch to the other and then I was hooked wanting to know more about that one.

The book covers the trauma of Jasalyn, who was kidnapped and tortured. I connected so easily with Jas and I wanted to know more about her as a character and her trauma…it’s honestly what hooked me from the start. 

You are in for a wild ride with this book. The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would have easily finished this book in hours but I really pushed myself to go slow, soak in all the details and enjoy every minute. It is so worth it. 

Now, when’s the next one coming out? I am not so patiently waiting. 

Comes out July 30 – Preorder on Amazon here. 

(Special shout out to Lexi Ryan and HarperCollins for sending me the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) – THANK YOU!)

FYI – This book was so good that I purchased the two books for the storyline before this. I can’t wait to read them!