Ohhh guys, this one is unique! And has a lot going for it! I am just going to get right into all the good stuff.
- The world is incredibly unique. Like, so much. The creativity in this world is mind-blowing, honestly. The author didn't just create a place, or a group of people, she created a whole world, complete with customs, language, traditions, and so much more. It's basically the definition of rich world building. And I wanted to know all the things about it. Because it is so new, and has so much to offer, to uncover, it felt like constant discovery, and that is a win.
- Speaking of the world, man, this place is rough. The author paints the picture so very well, I could feel the desperation when the storms hit, how awful it must be to be stuck in these hellish conditions. But I also felt the sense of safety when the characters made it to the city walls. Really, the whole book was quite well written in general.
- I shipped the super slow-burn romance so much. It's like... you know it's happening, but it's so slow, and Khya is so resistant. She wants to focus on her goals, distraction-free. Yet, she gets two very unexpected allies- one in the form of her own potential love interest, and the other her brother's loyal love interest. These characters are definitely multi-dimensional, and it is nice to see the various sides of them.
- Sexuality and gender are fluid and non-binary, and sex is just... a thing they do. It's quite interesting, and I love that the author explores this. Like, there is love, and there is sex, and sometimes they go together, and sometimes not. And some people are asexual and that's cool too. There is a third gender, and literally no one is judged. Well, about that, anyway. It's also incredibly diverse all around. Such a win.
- Khya is just so... well she's badass, but also, she is so normal too. She gets pissed off like any of us would, she sometimes acts shitty to her friends, she is just so real. Also, she talks about underwear and her period, so holy awesomeness. Please, can we have more realistic characters in books? She also goes through a lot of growth, too. It's quite great.
The minor problems I had? Sure, let's do it.
- The language was really hard for me to get into at the start. It took me a long time, honestly. I was wondering why I was reading so slow, but it was because I had to try to define tons of words in context. The good news? No info dumps. The bad news? Shannon was a little lost. BUT it did eventually become easier to get the hang of, so it is definitely not a deal breaker.
- There were a few "big" plot points that, in the grand scheme of things, were really predictable. So while the world was so unique, sometimes I felt a bit let down when I realized that I had known all along what was coming.
Bottom Line: I will be grabbing this sequel as soon as I can. Because the book, despite a few minor glitches, was freaking awesome and full of diversity, great characters, and exceptional world building.
*Copy provided by publisher for review