I was sort of on board until they killed off the sister and made the MCF take her place and her face. There’s a part of the story that is not making much sense to me, or at least I’m not convinced of it, but I’ll have to wait and see. The beginning felt very reminiscent of Radiance by Grace Draven, but the story quickly took on a life of its own (and a considerably darker tone).

I read a goodreads review about that scene and I agree when you really think about it, it's terribly dark). After looking at the reviews I should’ve done a little bit of homework for this series just because there are themes I think a lot of people won’t like. Vor's in the wrong here because he was more drawn to Faraine and wanted her, but realized that the alliance would go through with Ilsevel, so he PUT HIS PEOPLE FIRST, and made that choice. My heart constantly broke for Faraine, at how utterly selfless she was, how she always put everyone first without giving herself a second thought. First, let me say this story sucked me in completely, and like other stories from this author, I had visceral reactions while reading it.Not only did her Instagram teaser quotes suck me in with a hint at a Beauty and the Beast arc, which I love, but I had just entered a black hole of waiting for the next book in the Prince of the Doomed City series, and BotSK delivered!

While the focus is of course on Faraine and Vor, other characters and relationships are not neglected.I set the book aside for a bit and then skimmed the rest to see if it went the way I was afraid it might. After a short career in traditional publishing (under a different name), Sylvia decided to take the plunge into the indie publishing world and is enjoying every minute of it. There are some suspenseful scenes, some sweet moments, and a few sad times…and this ends on a cliffy. Also, the emotional abuse heaped upon the MCF by her family and those around her is just not something I want to read about.