A fun YA fantasy, with a unique world, and likeable characters. The plot was fast moving, and the writing was easily engageable, however the book just didn’t manage to captivate me in the way others of the genre have. That said, that’s probably more a reflection on the amount of YA fantasy I have consumed than on the book itself.

The world of the book was contained to that of an island and while the scope was small, it was very effectively fleshed out with its class system of the invading ‘Landers’ and the oppressed ‘Renters’. An aspect I really enjoyed of the book was the exploration of land ownership, and the way that the land itself seemed to be a character in the novel. The lore of the world was interesting, filled with mythical beasts of legend, people from the depths, and mineral ores of untold power. However I did find the world to be quite claustrophobic, with its dark setting of the depths of monster filled caves, and while that was the intended purpose I must say I would’ve enjoyed a few more scenery changes throughout, as after a while it became slightly monotonous. The plot similarly did seem a bit repetitive at times, until the conclusion, as well as the fact that none of the twists surprised me as they were a bit too strongly foreshadowed.

I enjoyed the characters of the book, although I felt that I didn’t have time to grow to necessarily love any of them. Additionally I would’ve enjoyed some relationships to be more fleshed out, in particular Rivan and Kress, who were sweet, but most of their close bond was told to us, in the context of their long lasting friendship, rather than shown. Maybe it was just that Rivan could have benefitted from more time establishing his character as his own person, beyond the fact that he was a caring friend and brother, to make them feel more authentic (I still liked Rivan though).
The one aspect that didn’t allow this book to reach bigger heights for me was the constant sense I had that I was waiting for something big to happen to shake up the game, that never eventuated, however maybe I’m just used to the larger scope of fantasy series rather than the limits of a standalone.

All in all a fun fantasy, with a well constructed world, that didn’t particularly bring anything new to the genre, but was an enjoyable read all the same.

Okay first of all, I want to take a second to shout out that cover which is absolutely stunning! I hadn't read Monsters Born and Made before this one but I do remember also quite liking that cover when I first saw it too. I do also want to note that while this book is a companion to MBAM, you do not need to have read both for either to make sense (although there are some small spoilers for MBAM). I assumed this was a standalone at first and was really blown away by the worldbuilding. Berwah did such an amazing job with crafting the world she is writing in, and her description of the monsters in this book were breathtaking. As a kid who was obsessed with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, this book made my heart sing. The team, the descent into a shadow-y ancient city, all of it was wonderful. I also have to give Berwah major props for having the team also have to return to the surface. I have seen so many adventure books that completely gloss over the return journey and I love that she chose to detail it and make it just as hard as the journey down. Over all, this book was a great treat that I cannot recommend enough!