3.5 ⭐️
This book was actually pretty decent. It loses half a star because the constant back and forth love hate relationship between the mc and the prince was nauseating. Other than that this book has some pretty unique and solid world building. It's not often that ya books explore "magic" as in depth as this one does. So that was refreshing. The other reason I think it stands out from the generic ya fantasy genre is the fact that I had to pay attention to it to understand what was happening. It wasn't cut and paste so I couldn't skim read this book at all, or else I'd not understand what was happening. ( )

This has potential - but lacked the follow through.
Nothing was really explained regarding the world or magic - so many unanswered questions.
The only character I liked was Iz.
There was no chemistry between the protagonist and the love interest - I was not invested in their “relationship” at all.
The ending is so confusing - all that build up to just have it end with no explanation?

In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne.

Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up to Vesper’s father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Even arm herself with her father’s book of dangerous experimental magic.

Even infiltrate the prince’s elite squad of soldier-sorcerers.

Even cheat her way into his cold heart.

But when Vesper learns that there’s more to the story of her mother’s death, she’ll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family’s secrets, or follow her mother’s footsteps into the Storm.

When plot complexity blends with an immersive read and grabs the reader, pulling them into an amazing new world, you have the best sort of story. This is such a book. I particularly liked the interaction between the three Wardanas, the way the interior of the storm develops, and the varied ways that storm affects characters. This is a winner. ( )