Thank you so much Forever and Netgalley!

This book! This book was amazing, definitely one of my top books of the year! It is gritty, heartwarming and filled with so much yearning. I perish from the yearning!! 

Tori Bovalino is such a genius for crafting this queer normative world filled with a fascinating magic system, and it has female knights! To me, female knights are a draw all on their own! The pacing was so perfectly timed between intimate moments, political intrigue, character growth and brutal battles. Tori made me feel like I was already a part of this world and I loved the lore behind Locke! 

The magic system was so fascinating! Wells are like magical batteries. They are paired with mages who can perform magic by pulling from the Wells store of magic to do devastating magic of all kinds. And yet Wells are considered lower than mages and their opinions aren’t really taken into account, but the respect that Kier has for Grey was magical, he is a walking green flag! 

This is more of a plot-driven novel but the romance was so present and warm that I had to gush about it! Kier and Grey grew up together and are so devoted to each other’s well-being. The amount of yearning between these two was epic, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Their story is one of love, sacrifice and understanding. 

This world is raw and brutal. There is so much hate and violence passing between the nations, as they each try to gain more power. The battle scenes were rich in detail and so worrying at times. You really get to feel how much pressure everyone is under trying to get through it! But the love Grey’s little found family have for each other is so wonderful. They do everything they can to protect each other and build each other up, even if that includes pointing out each other’s shortcomings. I would do anything to sit at the fire with them and eat one of Eron’s meals. 

I could keep gushing forever. I had such a hard time limiting my words in this review. Just know, Tori Bovalino is an amazing writer who will destroy you and then heal you. Pick this book up right now!