Official Synopsis: Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone.
When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own.
Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed.
I really wanted to love this book. The idea of it having the half-sister/princess try to make sure her terrible brother never ascends to the throne, it was a really great idea. I just feel like some of the things Teia did she decided to do really fast. We knew she had been stuck with her brother for a bit, but suddenly she knows she has to do something. When she decides to find and work with the rebellion, I thought it would be a moment for her to see a way out, or even a way to change for the better, but that isn't really what happens. Teia, when with the rebellion, makes a lot of sense, she sees how things can change for her and her kingdom. But by the end of the book, she has done what she planned, but stays to be their queen, and for me that doesn't make her any better than her brother.
I really liked some of the rebellion characters, but there were times it felt like there were almost too many moving parts. Too many people, too many goals, too many people who were double-crossing others, it was a lot to keep up with at times. I am curious to see how the story itself progresses, since it does end on a cliff-hanger.
There is also a love interest, and I think near the end of the book I was hoping for more from him and them. They sort of acknowledge they like each other, but he blindly follows the leader of the rebellion and she has her own plans that will ruin his. I feel like I would have liked it more if they knew they were doing the opposite thing and could work together.
I also didn't super understand how the magic works, it seems like it is only meant for certain people, but Teia has two types of magic, she can control fire and water. There is no real rules on who gets it, how much they can use it and why. I know its a young adult novel, but usually there are some types of rules to a magic system.
Overall, it is not a horrible debut and I think there were a lot of good ideas that could be fleshed out as the series continues. Teia is definitely an interesting character with a lot of good and bad ideas.
I rated this book a 3.5 out of 5.
This book is scheduled to be published Oct 15, 2024!
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