It’s always interesting to explore an author’s first novels away from their debut series. I first read Mara Rutherford in the early days of this blog (you can find my review for her debut novel here) and I really enjoyed the characters and the overall style of the book. This one felt the same and I am not sure if that’s a good thing. I might just be a little bit tired of the standardized format that these YA stories tend to take.

I did really enjoy the main character and I was intrigued by a world that marginalizes magic users because the leader wants to control all magic rather than just wanting to stamp it out altogether. I’ve only seen this done in one other series (L. Penelope’s Earthsinger Chronicles) and I’ve been interested in this trope since reading that. Beyond this trope the world-building is acceptable, but very sparse, with the reader not really learning a ton about the world, beyond aspects that are vital to the story. I would have liked for some more details to make the world really come to life rather than just stay in the background.

The heart of this story is the romance and I struggled with this aspect. When the main love interest gets virtually zero screen-time in the first 50% of the book, there’s not enough time to even know who the character is, not even considering the romance. So when the entire back end of the book is dependent on the relationship I just didn’t see it. The familial relationships were also a major portion and I still didn’t see it. There were a few moments that worked beautifully, such as the theatre scene, but much of the progression of the story was told in a, this already happened way that didn’t build my connections to the story.

This book also features a very strong internal narrator, that I absolutely adored. She breaks from the traditional tropes and honestly that aspect was a breath of fresh air. She was introspective and didn’t immediately trust everyone she met, understanding the dangers of the world and navigating them. Just reading from her perspective improved the reading experience.

Overall this one was a mix of positives and negatives. I would recommend this book to those looking for enemies to lovers romance in a less overwhelming fantasy setting. This felt like a great novel for someone that is just entering the YA Fantasy genre and looking for something that’s similar to books they are already familiar with. Sadly this wasn’t what I personally was looking for.

Thank you again to the publisher for my review copy. What’s your most anticipated book for the rest of the year? Leave a comment and chat with me below. Happy Reading.

3.5 stars

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Luminous

Author: Mara Rutherford

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, magic, witchy reads

Publication Date: October 5, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (animal death, animal gore, gore, violence, death, grief, parent death, slight romance)

Explanation of CWs: Animal death and gore shown and mentioned. Violence and gore throughout the book. Death and grief are prevalent themes. Slight romance.

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king's warlock, Darius, who uses mages' magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn't take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora's childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius's visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she'll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos--and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

Review: For the most part I enjoyed the book. It was really well done world building wise and I was fascinated by the plot of the book. I like witchy reads and this one was fairly average on the witchy scale. The book also had some good plot twists.

However, I felt like the book was weirdly written. The pacing was slow and the flow of the book was very off-kilter. The ending was rushed and the romance was kind of flat. There was very little character development in my opinion and they all just felt flat on the page.

Verdict: It was ok.

From the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl comes an immersive new fantasy about a witch who must learn to harness her power—or risk losing her loved ones forever. Thanks to her glow, Liora Duval has spent her life in hiding in the village of Sylvan, part of the Kingdom of Antalla, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power and may also control the King and Queen. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister Mina return to the capital with him.

To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to. To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared while also investigating what powers her mother had before she disappeared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos—and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him. Liora learns about others who have magic and are, of course, on Darius's radar.

After she begins working for Evran's mother the weaver, she discovers that those closest to her have been keeping more secrets than she could have imagined, including her father who once worked as the King's treasurer. Is she strong enough to set to rights what Lord Darius has set in motion without destroying her only chance of happiness with the boy who holds her heart? Liora has been sheltered from the world by her father for a long time, so she is a bit naive at times, but you can't fault her bravery.

She frequently disregards her own safety in order to protect her loved ones. Whether it's her best friend Evran or her sister Mina, she puts herself in harms way in life or death situations in order to try to save them. However, because of being sheltered, she often seems a tad reckless in her actions. She has absolutely no knowledge of what she is capable of magically because she thinks she is a danger to other people and doesn't try to learn. There are a variety of special abilities by those who have magic such as teleportation, "weaving" things into creation, fire starting, and the ability to see in the darkness.

The author throws in a sort of devilish twist at the end of the story and since this is allegedly a standalone, readers might not ever know what happens next for Mina, or Evran. Will Mina find the truth about her mother? Will she find happiness in a far off country that is a safe space for magic users? Will she ever forgive her father for keeping a lie that's been hidden from Mina since the day she was almost killed by a fallen star? In all fairness, I can understand Darius and even though he is the villain of the story, he could have easily been the hero had he chosen a different path, or found Mina's abilities sooner.

There are some (fair enough) comparisons to Shadow and Bone being made with this story, because the heroine Liora is basically a Sun Summoner, although it’s not called that - it’s ‘the power of a star’ living inside her. Where Luminous diverges, however, is in the antagonist, who doesn’t have the power of shadows. The character with the power of shadows is actually Liora’s love interest and strongest ally. The antagonist instead has the power of ‘nothingness’ - he is a void. When people touch him, their emotions, their cares, everything just drain away. Darius is an unquenchable void that cannot be filled, and he’s the most powerful man in the kingdom, searching out mages and forcing them into service.

Hidden away by her father, Liora’s glowing skin means she can’t hide forever, and Darius knows what she is from the first glance. An apprenticeship with the weaver-witch Margana is the only way Liora can escape being forced to the capital immediately, but it soon becomes apparent that Margana’s being forced to weave something unthinkable… a void which could destroy the whole world.

I did enjoy this, but I do feel like it’s a bit too much like Shadow and Bone - Darius and the Darkling felt very similar and Liora/Alina are basically the same person, but I don’t think the worldbuilding is as strong. I’ll give it four stars.

Luminous was my first book by Mara Rutherford. And I absolutely loved this captivating story. I loved the sisterhood representation, the friendship, the characters, and the magic system. I loved everything about it especially the gorgeous cover. I am so glad I own a physical copy. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy.

I enjoyed this book. It was a nice read, and fairly easy to get through with good pacing. I enjoyed the romance and the way magic is portrayed, but overall I didn’t LOVE it. It’s well written and certainly and enjoyable read for YA fantasy lovers!

"You were your own light in the darkness. You just needed to believe in yourself."-Evran

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Mara Rutherford for the opportunity to not only read Luminous in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.

In the kingdom of Antalla, those who have the gift of witchcraft are hunted and used by the king's personal warlock, Darius. In the small village of Sylvan, Liora must keep her light a secret. She glows, emanating a soft light. While she doesn't know the extent of her power, her father and sister both know she needs to be kept a secret or Darius will come claim her.

A witch who lives nearby, Margana, takes Liora on as an apprentice just so Darius cannot claim her when he appears on one of his witch hunts. Instead, he takes Liora's younger sister, Mina, mostly as collateral, knowing he will get the chance to use Liora...eventually. But what could her power be and why is he so obsessed with touching her?

Meanwhile, Liora tries to keep her relationship with Margana's son, Evran, strong.  Liora learns about Margana's weaving magic: she can create animals, people, and even places out of woven threads. She has been under Darius' watchful eye for 20 years, making a tapestry of darkness, a place to banish people and keep the creatures of old: the Lusiri. Lusiri are mythical dark magic creatures that suck the lives out of living things and create voids into the darkness. When Darius pushes Evran through the tapestry (because Margana isn't following through with her end of the deal), Liora is the only one who can go in and save him because her light is the only thing that can shatter the darkness inside the world of the tapestry. She may save Evran, but in the process, two Lusiri escape. Darius, Evran, and Liora (among others) must hunt down the Lusiri and get them in check before they frighten and unsettle too many people. What Darius doesn't know is that Liora can see the voids left behind from where the Lusiri feed. These voids are the very darkness that Darius wants, and if he finds out that the Lusiri can make the whole world like the tapestry he commissioned....well, he can't find out.

Liora must stop the Lusiri and keep their voids hidden from Darius. The lives of her family, Evran's mother, and all witches are on the line. It's up to a witch touched by a falling star to save the world.

I love that this book is a stand-alone. It felt like a more medieval magic realism and had a nice blend of magic with reality. The story is wholesome, with a great wrap-up, and there's a nice touch of romance. The character interactions are intriguing and the progression of the story, along with the unique mythical creatures, the Lusiri, was a great way to add a bit of darkness to contrast the main character's light.

Okay, so this one was a bit tricky for me. 

Let's start with Liora... Liora is a witch. But, because, in this world, witches are captured and/or tortured, Liora is in hiding with her family: her father and two sisters. 

While, the premise was extremely promising--and there even managed to be a bit of a romance that I wasn't expecting--the execution was a bit lackluster. Unfortunately, I love a book that is more character-driven than plot-driven. And, I feel like there were moments where these characters could've been a whole lot deeper and fleshed out--and that would've just added to the promise of a well-thought-out plot. 

However, it was just really difficult for me to love the characters and invest emotion into them.

With all that said, though (because I think it was just a style choice by the author), the writing is all-around very enticing. 

I love books that deal with supernatural elements, and this one had that in spades. The plot was set and the story was wrapped up with just enough a bittersweet ending for it not to be considered trite. I always appreciate a more realistic ending, even in a fantasy novel. 

With that said, if you like a "happy ending", I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

If nothing else, this book has set me on a path to more of Mara Rutherford's works. 

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this book! My review will be live, at the link given, on October 12, 2021.

Title: Luminous
Author: Mara Rutherford
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

A witch who must learn to harness her power--or risk losing her loved ones forever.

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king's warlock, Darius, who uses mages' magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn't take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora's childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius's visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she'll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos--and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

I really loved Rutherford’s previous duology, but this just didn’t quite measure up for me. So many layers of lies and misinformation that I was never quite sure of the truth about core concepts from the world itself. I liked Liora herself, but the other main characters were inconsistent at best. Some bits felt clunky and uneven, and there was a bit of deus ex machina thrown in for good measure.

Mara Rutherford is from California. Luminous is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

So many books came out yesterday, so I have a review for another one of them ready to go for y’all today. I really enjoyed the other books I read by Mara Rutherford, so I was very excited to give Luminous a go! Thank you so much to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of this book.

Luminous 3.5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

Man y’all, I really wanted to love this book. The magic system and the world had so much promise and the way it was written made it so easy to read, but the execution was not my favorite. I didn’t really care about Liora or sisters. I didn’t like Evran. I liked Darius (our villain) the most, which was kinda sad. I feel like his character was the most fleshed out, but even then, he wasn’t really very fleshed out. In terms of the plot, the whole first 40% of the book felt like a waste- I couldn’t even really tell you what happened in that section. Then an event happens at the 40% mark that I thought was going to be way more of a major thing in the book, but it wasn’t as major as I expected and then all of a sudden there was another giant plot point that was the main storyline from there on out and I was a little confused about why we were going in so many directions. I don’t think our characters were strong enough to carry on such a disjointed storyline. And everything about the stars was super confusing to me just in general. Overall, even though this wasn’t my favorite book because of the execution, I still liked certain aspects of it and I definitely think that there are people who would enjoy reading it, especially since it was such a quick read and there were some great spots of brightness within the book.

Luminous by Mara Rutherford is about Liora. Liora is a witch. She’s kept this a secret all her life to prevent the king’s warlock, Darius, from discovering her power. When Darius takes her little sister instead, Liora knows she must save her. To make things worse, Liora’s friend Evran goes missing after Darius’ visit. Liora must embrace her true self and come into her power if she is to find her sister and her friend, and save the world from Darius’ plans.

I liked this book’s focus on family, especially the themes of sisterhood!

The Review

A truly unique and intense new YA Fantasy world! This novel did an amazing job of drawing the reader into this unique world where witches, mages, and warlocks take on an entirely new meaning. The theme of sisterhood and family, as well as the theme of accepting ourselves for who we are, was felt widely in this narrative, as the story unfolded the layers of Liora’s past and her true nature beautifully.

The balance of world-building, mythology, and character growth was so well-written in this book. The exploration of Liora’s sheltered life and the fear of her magic was a great reflection of every parent’s desire to shield their children from the dangers our world presents, and the harm that can come from being too protective and letting our own fears dominate our children’s lives. Liora’s evolution as a protagonist was great to see unfold, showing the inner strength that blossomed her from a shielded witch in hiding to a powerful force for change and light in the darkness.

The Verdict

Emotional, mythological in its world-building, and heartfelt in its delivery, author Mara Rutherford’s “Luminous” is a must-read YA Fantasy novel of 2021. A wholly unique take on witches and magic overall, and the theme of self-acceptance, this novel does a wonderful job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, delivering shocking and heartbreaking revelations, epic confrontations, and beautiful relationships that tie into the story of hope that Liora represents.

Stories about teens learning to love their magic always are one of my favorite YA fantasy tropes, and that cover is so pretty. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t quite live up to it.

“Magic—especially the kind people wielded deliberately—was as much of a mystery to me as the world outside Sylvan.”


Liora has spent most of her life in hiding in her quiet village. After a tragedy when she was a child, she started displaying signs of magic: her skin glows, especially when she’s feeling intense emotions. Considering the extreme prejudice against mages, Liora mostly stays locked up at home, avoiding coming to the attention of the evil Darius, advisor to the king, who “collects” (or kills) any mages that come to his attention. But when Darius arrives in her village, it’s her younger sister and her childhood best friend (and love) Evran that get stuck in his trap. But it’s the full revelation of Darius’s plans that truly frighten Liora. Can she overcome her distrust of her own magic to save the kingdom?

My main issue with this book is that I never got invested in the story. I couldn’t connect with Liora as a character, and the only character I was actively interested in was Margana, Evran’s mother, a witch who can weave things into being. Part of the issue is that there’s a lot of telling rather than showing. We’re told Liora’s in love with Evran, but the only time we really see evidence of that is when she makes grand gestures and some physical affection between the two of them. We’re told they’re best friends, but he spends the first chunk of the book ignoring her. We’re told that it’s cold or dangerous or frightening, but there’s no details to really make the reader feel that. The only time things got a little interesting was that we’re continuously told Darius is evil, but a lot of his actions could be as neutral, or perhaps even good, from a certain point of view.

And it’s once Darius showed up that the plot got a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, there were some definite Sun Summoner/Darkling parallels (though in this case it’s more star/black hole) in both characterization and plot that let me guess where the plot was going, so even things that should’ve been shocking were, well, boring. There was a lot of buildup to a particular revelation near the end of the book (one that I think most readers will see coming a mile away) but then the book just ended. I’m not sure if this is meant to have a sequel or not, but I found that particularly unsatisfactory. Another pet peeve was that there’s no unifying magic theory. People have various magic powers, from crying diamonds to teleportation, but there’s no explanation for why each person’s magic is so different.

“But if fear sometimes protects me and other times holds me back, how will I know when to listen?”
Her focus shifted slightly, and I knew that she no longer saw me. She saw whatever prompted her response. “You’ll know, Liora, when you are not willing to give up the thing you’re afraid of.”


So what did I like about this book? I liked, in concept, Liora’s journey from having to hide and fear her magic to accepting it as a part of herself. She worries that her magic will hurt people, will push them away from her, but gradually comes to understand that her lack of understanding and control over it will do the same thing. Part of that is watching Evran try to stay away from her for the same reasons, and part of that is the extremely different lessons she learns from Margana and the Darkling – err, I mean Darius.

Overall, I think this might be more suited for a younger reader who can handle some of the darker aspects of the book.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I received an ARC via Netgalley, all opinion are my own.

I really enjoyed this unique YA fantasy. Liora lives in a kingdom where witches live in hiding for fear they will be captured and used for their ability by the King's right hand man Lord Darius. Darius is a powerful warlock himself and has a reputation for being ruthless and brutal when he finds someone with a useful power. Liora has spent most of her life in hiding from Darius, but a series of events causes her to interact with him and she suspects he knows she has some sort of power. Liora doesn't know the extent of her power other than her skin glows, but when Darius takes her younger sister and her best friend disappears she is forced to confront her power and find out if she can do more. As she learns more about her power, we also learn more about Darius and how he became so empty.

I thought the worldbuilding in this was well done. There really isn't a specific magic system in play as everyone who has magic can do something a little different. When magic was used it was described well and wasn't overcomplicated. I thought the actual scenery was described well as were the characters, which is really important in certain scenes. The character development was pretty good as well. There are several different character arcs that are developing and the main focus wasn't always on Liora. For her to come into her own, she has to get to know Darius and also figure out her feelings for Evran, the boys she loves.

I really enjoyed this, and highly recommend it if you like YA fantasy.

Initial Thoughts
I loved Mara Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl duology and was super excited to read her next book!

Some Things I Liked
Friends to lovers romance. It’s usually not my favorite but I loved it here.
Lush and atmospheric writing. I love the way Mara Rutherford writes. I felt like I could see everything she described.
World building and magic system. I loved the magic in this book because it felt unique and every magic user seemed to have a unique ability.
Morally grey villain. I loved this element. I love a complex villain.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
The ending felt rushed. Since there is no sequel announced yet, I was a bit disappointed in the ending and the slight info dump at the end. If there is a sequel, I’d revise my rating.

Series Value
I definitely want to see a sequel here. I feel like there’s so much more I want to know about this world and these characters. I’d definitely keep reading.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the character development here and the morally grey villain. This is a three-peat author for me and I’ll most certainly read more books by Mara Rutherford in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Lumious" reminds me of a magical "Hunger Games". There is an evil man seeking to control a kingdom and numerous challenges for the heroine to overcome. It's a fresh look at emerging magic in a young adult. Hoping to see a sequel to the story soon. This book is hopefully just the beginning!

So, I'm going to be honest, I didn't understand this book. I like the first half and thought it was amazing, but the second half left me feeling really confused and by the time I got to the end, I wasn't sure how we ended up there. This book seemed to change directions multiple times and left me scrambling to catch up. While the writing was gorgeous and I loved the world it was set in, the characters were also really strange.

Liora is very sheltered due to her father's fears that she might be taken in by Darius and used for whatever he sees fit. And Liora is happy to follow along if it means she gets to stay with her sisters and father. Her friend and kind of lover, Evran, is kind of a jerk. We see some sweet moments between them, but ultimately, Evran is kind of awful to Liora and she just accepts it. Meanwhile Darius, who's over a hundred years old and looks like a grown adult, is obsessed with Liora after running into her and it is so creepy. 

Liora's younger sister, Mina, is very much a younger sister and I found her really irritating. Granted, she's 15 and a child, but oh my gosh I couldn't stand reading the scenes between the two of them. And then we have Liora's father, who's so dysfunctional and jumbled in what he wants and what he's told them, that I had no patience for him. And Liora herself is just so passive, until it suits the plot that she's not. She's been sheltered and told to keep to herself all her life, then suddenly she's the epitome of confident and assured. It just doesn't make sense. 

The first half of this book was great, even though I couldn't stand most of the characters. I loved the different conflicts and situations Liora must work through, until we get to the second half. Now I have no idea where this was going. It was like the original plot wasn't long enough to fill up a whole book, so a second plot was tacked on and hastily sewn together. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I liked this book. Though I had some issues with the characters and plot progression, ultimately this book was well written and I enjoyed the story while I was reading it. I thought the main villain was very complex and added depth to Liora's character and journey, even if his obsession with her was very creepy (though that seems to be the point). 

This book is a hard one for me to rate, because it's very middle of the road for me. There were things I loved and things I didn't love. Ultimately, three stars seems to be the happy medium for me and I'm curious if we'll get a second book. After that ending, I think it could go either way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the e-ARC!

I was looking forward to this read, and it did not disappoint. I liked the main characters, and also the magic system the author created. I found it really unique how the main character Loira was often given away as a witch by her glowing and the lengths she went to to hide it. I also enjoyed the romance in the book, it was present but not the main point of the story. The pacing of the book was also really good. I found myself interested throughout the whole story. The ending also didn’t disappoint. Overall I would definitely recommend this book for any young adult readers who enjoy a good fantasy.

I enjoyed Luminous. Mara Rutherford’s writing style is very readable, and that made it easy to keep reading…and reading…and reading long past my bedtime.

The story is engaging – a young woman who’s long been kept hidden away from the world for fear of a powerful warlock discovering her power, the young man she loves who has secrets of his own, the powerful warlock himself (who may not be as he appears).

Liora and her family fled the king’s court for the small village of Sylvan after her mother’s death. Liora’s father feared that Lord Darius, a warlock with his own nefarious agenda, would discover Liora’s magic and take her away. When she leaves the house (seldom), Liora has to keep her radiant skin covered up. But Darius does discover Liora’s magic, and instead of demanding her, he takes her younger sister Mina as collateral. Thus begins the quest to save Mina. Liora must go into the king’s court, where Darius holds sway, and even into the heart of darkness itself, to wrest Mina from Darius’s clutches. In the process, she learns about the true power of her magic, and why Darius has been seeking it, and realizes that perhaps she isn’t the monster she’d always feared herself to be.

The story is perhaps a little simplistic. There are no detailed descriptions of the magic system or how it works. Some people have magic, some don’t. Something has to activate the magic. But Rutherford’s writing makes it work. She does a marvelous job of drawing pictures with her words, and those pictures kept me scrolling through the book, wanting to know what happened next. And her characters aren’t simplistic. There is more to most all of them than how they first appear. (With the exception of Luc, perhaps. He was just a troll. Figuratively. There are no actual trolls in the book.)

I was particularly intrigued with the project Margana had been working on for Darius for twenty years, the tapestry of darkness. It was a thing – a tapestry. And yet it was like a Tardis, bigger on the inside. Way, WAY bigger. What a thing to conceive of!

Liora’s power calls to mind that of Penn in L. J. Hatton’s Sing Down the Stars. If you enjoyed that story, you may also like Luminous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advance reader copy! All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books that I don’t actually like.

For starters this cover is so heart eyes! Amazing melt your heart romance coupled with the world building and fantasy elements is the perfect combination for a YA reader. Some YA plots and character development can be frustrating to read but the characters that Mara Rutherford created just makes you want to relate to their emotions.