Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc! I feel uncomfortable rating this, and this is a very personal dealbreaker which lead to me DNFing <50 pages in, but Jesus. There were so. Many. Fucking. Similes. Just so many. I do love purple prose, but good god. Stop spamming a single literary device. Just stop.

As someone who reads A LOT, I'm always on the lookout for new fantasy series and authors. Especially with ones that have influences from other cultures (I have been devouring those). I've had some debut series be disappointing, this was not one of them. The cover was really pretty and I was intrigued by the description, so I HAD to put in a request. I was excited when I got the approval and almost started it immediately. I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading it. The world building this author has done here was amazing, I loved the settings and the characters. I really can't wait for the next book even though this one isn't even out yet, but it will be something to look forward to. I highly recommend this book! I already pre-ordered a physical copy when it gets released it was that good.

I did not finish this book. Right away, the mythology was very intense and difficult to get into. I felt that it was too hard to understand and didn’t continue.

Really, really enjoyed this story! The magic was fascinating, the characters relatable, and the world intriguing. I can't wait to read the second book and the first isn't even published yet. *cries*

The story alternates perspectives between two main characters and I did find the chapters from the perspective of Ashoka to be confusing at first. About 15% in I started to fall into the flow and understand a little more about the world and that helped. By 50% I was sucked in and read the last 30% in one binge sitting. There's enough action to keep the reader hooked but there's also lots of character growth and world building. Definitely a fantastic debut!