Blurb:

An epic, dark fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas' THRONE OF GLASS. 

An orphan bent on revenge. A monster searching for freedom. A forbidden pact that binds their fates.

Lyss had heard her father's screams, smelled the iron-tang of his blood. She witnessed his execution.

And plotted her revenge.

Then, a violent encounter traps Lyss in a blood-pact with a rarkyn from the otherworld, imbuing her with the monster's forbidden magic—a magic that will erode her sanity.

To break the pact, she and the rarkyn must journey to the heart of the Empire. All that stands in their way are the mountains, the Empire's soldiers, and Lyss' uneasy alliance with the rarkyn.

But horrors await them on the road—horrors even rarkyns fear.

The most terrifying monster isn't the one Lyss travels with.

It's the one that's awoken inside her.

Monsters of a feather flock together.

Review:

I first found out about this book thanks to the SFF Insider Discord! The author had posted a link to a sale on the first of this series, and from the cover alone I knew I wanted to read it. I’m so glad I did because this stands as one of my favorite reads of the month. Lyss and her reluctant companion The Rarkyn must travel through mountains, burning towns, and Order strongholds to get to the great city of Illredus in hopes of ridding themselves of a blood pact and hopefully all before Lyss loses her mind to the magic of it all. 

Characters

We are introduced to the story by way of a mysterious creature that is known as a rarkyn – a beast of the Otherworld, trapped in the human realm. A rockslide has crushed his captor under rubble, but he is still bound by magic that suppresses his ability to escape. 

Then along comes Lyss, who in her foolishness and naivety attempts to release him from his binds. But all backfires when the clutches of their combined magic binds them in a blood pact. I really like Lyss. She seems timid but she proves to be anything but as the story progresses, she grows into her own as they attempt to escape the Order that would see them both dead. 

Atmosphere

I really enjoyed the setting and the world-building of this story. It’s unique and brings beast and girl together on a mission that would release them both from the tethers that bind them. While the rarkyn has been hunted and forced to stay in this realm, Lyss is anchored by her own past and the pressures she had placed on herself her whole life to be better than anyone expects from her. 

Writing Style

Lee has a great and unique storytelling voice in the young adult fantasy space. She has presented us with a magical story that all readers can enjoy, staying true to the adventure fantasy with only a very soft romance on the fringes of the tale. I would only caution the very younger side of the spectrum in the young adult range, as there are some graphic action scenes. But overall, I think readers both younger and older can enjoy this first-of-a-series. 

Plot

With the blood pact threatening to turn Lyss against her own mind, she and the rarkyn embark on an adventure across the kingdom to seek out the help of stronger mancers of magic in the city of Illredus. There is nothing easy about their trek, and they are faced with many trying times and forces against their control. On top of that, they are being hunted, not just by the Order but also by the very man who trapped the rarkyn to begin with – rarkyn are intensely sought after for their Otherwordly magic and neither of them are safe on this trip. I turned page after page to see them on their way.

Intrigue

The uniqueness of this story pulled me right in from the very first page. There is a spring of world-building and character development that immersed me in a story I couldn’t put down. The Order on their tails was thrilling and the magic at word was enthralling. I was especially eager to see Lyss transform on the page from a timid girl to someone worth her salt, and while this does end on a bit of a cliffhanger (kind of par for the course in a series) this took me on a ride I won’t soon forget. 

Excitement

Excitement is an understatement! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am so eager to get into the pages of the next book! I am giving it some time for the author to release more about the third and final book in this trilogy, but I highly recommend this to all readers looking for an action and magic-packed adventure fantasy.