this was such an intoxicating and well-written romantasy. i understand the hype now!
the plot was so easy to get into. despite this b★★★★☆ - 4.25 stars
this was such an intoxicating and well-written romantasy. i understand the hype now!
the plot was so easy to get into. despite this being a fantasy, there weren’t quite any fantasy elements besides a couple magic spells and the procedures regarding the castings. (i thought the fact that Rune used her…monthly cycle blood was nasty though LOL.) i absolutely FLEW through this. it was incredibly easy to binge. there was a great amount of action and a good bit of romance, creating an addictive story from start to finish. however, i am super mad about the ending. now i have to wait for the second book to get some closure! i am getting deja vu from when I finished Powerless—especially with that last line from Gideon. the constant back and forth between him and Rune was crazy. i was not expecting another enemies to lovers to enemies situation.
the reason this isn’t a 5 star is because i didn’t feel a strong enough connection to the characters. i think, because it’s the first book in a series, they didn’t get a ton of time to form one yet. the longing for them to get together has me begging for a second book. so overall, i liked both Rune and Gideon. i loved how vulnerable they were both able to be while still very clever. Rune’s ability to completely switch her personality was an example. her work as the Crimson Moth is honestly admirable. and despite the brutish appearance of Gideon, he’s a scarred man with a tragic past. i thought he was so hot and all the things he said were really meaningful.
Gideon’s past had shaped him. Haunted him. Ruined him.
i loved the romance. it was, as i said earlier, just a taste of what’s to come. i ate up every last moment between Rune and Gideon. the tension was so perfectly crafted, especially with the dangerous game they were playing with each other. it was so enticing to read. and neither of the characters knowing the other’s motive made things even more thrilling.
Is this still the game? she wondered. Or is this real?
the writing was good. it flowed well and i had no issues with it. my only complaint is that in the first part of the book, there was a minor typo, and a bigger issue is that Rune’s hair color kept changing! at one moment, it would be red, the next brown and then blonde. pick one! that annoyed me a lot. i ended up just choosing red hair when i pictured Rune.
bottom line: this was a really quick, addictive romantic fantasy with a great plot and a cliffhanger that’ll have you desperate for the second book! highly recommend.
QUOTES “Beautiful heiresses might court common soldiers,” he said. “But they don’t marry them.” Her mouth quirked a little. “Did you just call me beautiful, Gideon?” “I’m stating the obvious. Don’t change the subject.”
“I remember the sound of your laugh,” he said. “It pulled me like a magnet toward the beach, where I found the most beautiful girl in the world standing on the shore.”
“I loathe him,” she told the shadows in the garden, trying to remember all the reasons this was true. But her voice trembled as she said it.
If he wasn’t careful, he might fall in love with her.
Gideon closed the space between them in a single stride and threw the jacket over her, tucking her into it. Her whole body trembled with shock. “You came,” she whispered. He pulled Rune against her, as if trying to shield her from the heat.
Standing this near to her was dangerous. Like the moon and the tide, the closer he got to her, the closer he wanted her. Rune was a bright light burning in a long, dark night.
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