I am so honoured to have received an Advanced Review Copy ahead of this books release and am leaving a willing and honest review!

This is a complex world filled with both lovable and hate-able characters 😄 all dynamic and realistic (read grey) and well woven into the plot. (Pun obviously intended!)

Our underdog FMC is a harden slave, protective of her sibling and with high hopes of winning her freedom and buying that of her found family’s.

She is thrown into an intricate plot, used and bought and moved around the chess board of politics and interest, never losing her cunning intelligence and natural kindness and sense of purpose.

Our MMC is a grey af hero, with a soft heart under a harden shell, just like we love them 😏

The flashbacks give us the story we need to understand our hero and the story that brought us to the present time intrigues and games.

The romance is a sloooow burn and the eventual spice is YA level (for those that aren’t fans of spicy scenes, this is perfect!)

There’s soooo much feeling reading this Ooooof!

Disgust, hate, rage, love, friendship, caring, wonder, passion, violence, grief,… You name it, i felt it! 😂

If I haven’t convinced you to read this yet, here’s some glimpses to what you can find:

Slaves, masters, “Who did this?”, found family, street urchins, magic, dragon!, fluid characters, krakens, a flying carpet, shifters, intrigue, political games, Venice Carnaval parties, Rome carrick racing - Hunger Games style, dubious characters, darkwine, Veneza canal’s racing, training, flower gardens and a priest island hidden in the mists!

Tw: slavery, violence, war, death, brutal games, none is overdone or too explicit.

This fantasy was absolutely fantastic! It’s so fast paced and jam packed with everything someone needs to hold their interest - mythology, romance, mystery…there was so much to it and I really enjoyed watching everything unravel into an amazing story!

The narrator for the audiobook was absolutely perfect. Between the tone and voices of the characters, there was no way I was putting this down. Much of that is thanks to the narrator as well as the story. It was a perfect pairing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook and ebook!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! WOW WOW WOW. I was hooked from page one! The world and magic system is so interesting. I fell in love with the character (at least most of them)! And Zaria and Harken…. Amazing. Enough said. Read this book if you’re a romantasy girl like me!

I absolutely loved this book and the characters. The world-building was detailed and smooth.
The strong female lead that was Zaria was stunning. She kept pushing and fighting for herself, her siblings, and even the street urchins, even when it seemed everything was out to get her. You can't help but love her. I cried, screamed in frustration, and hoped against all odds for her.
Our morally grey male Harken is everything you want that you didn't know you wanted; even when I didn't want to like him, I loved him. Harken made me feel everything at once more than once throughout this story.
The flashbacks were everything we needed to understand Harken and his hard exterior and were woven into the plot smoothly.
This slow burn kept me intrigued but not slow enough to make me feel like all was lost.
With all that said, Lupa and poor Huxley were my favorite characters of all. Lupa doesn't give up on her friends, and Huxley's loyalty made me smile through tears.
I will absolutely read more from this author!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this fantastic story!