4/5

For fans of: vampires, shapeshifters, high fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, morally grey characters, smut, character-driven

Synopsis: Finally entering Atlantia, Poppy has arrived to take what is rightfully hers: the throne. Unfortunately, it will not be as easy as she and Casteel believe. While his parents understand full well that she is within her right, she must convince the people and prove to potential political allies that she is worthy to rule. But the real threat to her ascension to the throne lies back from where she came from. History and consequences rear their ugly heads as forces far older than anyone imagined are awakened and old debts are called to be paid.

Review: FINALLY, the plot picks up. I was ready to call it in on this plot going absolutely nowhere, but things have finally started moving. There’s still so much travel going on in these books, constant back and forth across these mountains but it also makes me feel like this world is so small if armies can move so quickly to the borders of these kingdoms. I honestly feel bad for their horses, give them a break! Poppy starts to assert herself as the powerful being she is once she starts to practice harnessing her powers and recognizes that she has to earn her position. Casteel as well starts to pull back and let Poppy lead, which is always nice to see. Now that we finally get a view of the landscape and culture of Atlantia, it is definitely not the homecoming I expected and I love that. She has to earn her way into these peoples hearts no matter how much Casteel is beloved. I didn’t want it to be easy for them and it makes Atlantia a far more complex setting. I also really liked delving more into the past of the entire world, seeing a sharper view of how events unfolded. The timeline of events get muddled, however, once we realize that the main players of the past are still in positions of power in the present despite hundreds of years having passed. Make sure you pay close attention to the last third of the book, so many twists and reveals happened that I got whiplash. I feel for Poppy, no matter how much she digs, there are so many secrets and lies that are directly connected to her and that she can barely keep things straight. I’m still not fully convinced we know everything about her parentage by the end of the book despite so much time spent on it. Hopefully we get more understanding of things with the prequel.