Destiny and darkness collide in this romantic, sweeping new fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan. Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok's lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna's survival depends on the world believing she is dead. But that doesn't stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized. With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.
yikes, what. a. slog. i wanted to love this book but it is just SO BAD. the premise sounded so great but i found the dialogue uncomfortably stilted, the plotting unevenly paced (it's slow slow slow until 45-50% in and then there's a mad rush to the end), the world-building is lacklustre and I really have no clue what's happening with this world, and the romance is literally laughable. the insta-love is gag-worthy and there is no basis for their "connection" whatsoever. it's also too small of a story—it's very clear that sophie jordan planned for this to be a series (it ends on a ginormous cliffhanger) and the story does not feel complete.
jordan is most well-known for her historical romances and while this type of behaviour/pacing might be OK with that genre (and i think i have enjoyed some of her romances before), it is so out of place in fantasy. it felt to me like jordan needed to do a lot more research on the fantasy genre before writing this book. this is a huge pass—DO NOT ENTER HERE—and i will definitely not be continuing on with this series. (which is kinda saying something, considering that big cliffhanger.)
