Cassian Goldhoard has visions of the future—almost exclusively featuring a girl that he paints with no eyes. As the High Prince Regent of House Dragon, his mercurial moods put him in danger of being proclaimed mad and removed from the throne. His brother, Talon, the War Prince, does everything in his power to protect his brother and his House. Darling Seabreak is an assassin for her adopted House, Kraken. She was adopted by the House Regent after House Dragon murdered her entire House, Sphinx. She spent years living in the sewers, which damaged her eyesight, requiring her to wear special goggles. After Darling is captured by Talon during an attempted rescue of her adopted father, Cassian presents an enigmatic solution for peace between the Houses. Together, Cassian, Talon, and Darling work toward trusting each other and peace for their country.
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The characters, though immature, were believable and interesting. The immaturity worked, though, because the book is YA fiction. I enjoyed that the ending of the book wasn’t immediately evident to me either, despite Cassian leaving clues as to what he was plotting. The romance between Talon and Darling was enjoyable but it felt a little rushed. But, again, as they were teenagers, I think the immaturity of the romance works. I also think that it is something that will be further developed in book 2.
I think that this is a great addition to the YA diaspora. Gratton and Ireland did a great job of encapsulating everything essential to a good YA book. The strong, female protagonist and the enemies-to-lovers romance are classic YA tropes—for good reason—that were very well employed in this store. I think that teenagers will relate to Darling and fall for Talon. Adults looking for a fun and easy read, will also love this book, but anyone looking for more mature and intricate characters and relationships will be disappointed with it.
Overall, I’m so happy that I read this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good YA fantasy. I’m really looking forward to finding out what happens to Darling, Talon, and Cassian in book 2!
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The characters, though immature, were believable and interesting. The immaturity worked, though, because the book is YA fiction. I enjoyed that the ending of the book wasn’t immediately evident to me either, despite Cassian leaving clues as to what he was plotting. The romance between Talon and Darling was enjoyable but it felt a little rushed. But, again, as they were teenagers, I think the immaturity of the romance works. I also think that it is something that will be further developed in book 2.
I think that this is a great addition to the YA diaspora. Gratton and Ireland did a great job of encapsulating everything essential to a good YA book. The strong, female protagonist and the enemies-to-lovers romance are classic YA tropes—for good reason—that were very well employed in this store. I think that teenagers will relate to Darling and fall for Talon. Adults looking for a fun and easy read, will also love this book, but anyone looking for more mature and intricate characters and relationships will be disappointed with it.
Overall, I’m so happy that I read this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good YA fantasy. I’m really looking forward to finding out what happens to Darling, Talon, and Cassian in book 2!