I guess I’ll have to scream my feelings into the void..
(I'm really sorry for this rambling but I had to air my thoughts somewhere)


Thoughts on the book (massive spoilers):
- overall it was a solid sequel but i got that feeling that a lot happened while nothing much did (most likely because the pacing was super shonky)
- really nice political machinations - probably the strongest part of the novel same as its predecessor
- awkward pacing because a lot of the tension especially in high stakes moments were cut since we would switch povs
- I think another reviewer brought this up too but the large plot points and action sequences are kind of glossed over in favour of smaller details like conversations between characters and this is cool and all and while I never lost interest in these smaller moments I wished she also expanded on those major plot moments. The emperor Tamuron takes forever to die and then once he does a whole slew of characters also suddenly die as well and this all happens the last quarter of the book so it feels super rushed
- world building is also amazing and was trimmed down a bit compared to the 1st book but I still felt that we could’ve sacrificed some of it for the plot since the world was established so well in the first book
- there is major progression in the plot especially with the death of Tarumon and Takyeo and Kanbina and the grabbing of power by the princes and we have the hovering threats outside the palace walls with unrest and possible invasion but this stuff feels quite distant but it seems that it’s going to be the centre stage for the final book considering the ending we got
- another thing I really loved was all the hidden motivations of everyone and all the characters trying to manipulate everyone else. The author did a really great job and it’s one of the most compelling parts to me


Moving on to characters (this is messy):
Yala!!!!!!
- loved her subtle growth into a more independent and daring person.
- She’s definitely my favourite character and in the previous book she was the hyper competent lady-in-waiting who did nothing wrong but we all know that Mahara’s death and her guilt change her. But now her time in Zhaon has changed her especially with their less restrictive attitudes about women and she’s no longer happy to just go back to being the subservient and obedient noblewoman she once was which is compelling!! Especially since a lot of the men in her life expect her to (looking at you clowns Daoyan and Takshin, and Kai to an extent).
- It’s especially interesting to see her lose some of her unwavering composure and honestly good for her after everything that’s happened
- I adore her and I really hope she gets the happy ending she deserves

Kai!
- We don't get as much from Kai this time since he's relegated to the border while most of the action is in the palace which is sad since I do like him a lot but most of progression we see is with his relationship and romance with Yala (I have so much to say about this)
- he's still the same honourable, nice and deadly man as before but with all these deaths of important people to him hopefully we see a more ruthless and changed side in the next book
- he's so soft to Yala which I absolutely adore
- at this point I do think he's not as controlling as Yala's other love interests which I appreciate because it's nice to see that especially in a place where women are submissive to the men in their lives

Takshin!
- Takshin gets a lot more screen time (page time?) and growth
- he's still the same prickly prince with the massive chip off his shoulder but he learns to be more subtle in politicking and becomes more restrained esp around Yala
- I have some issues with Takshin esp in regards to his relationship with Yala
- would love to see him more with Kiron since their relationship is so interesting (love/hate vibes are strong)

Kurin
- very, very interesting character and although I don't love him like I do the trio he's probably the 2nd most interesting person apart from Yala
- We see all his carefully laid out plans and his full force manipulation to ensure that he becomes the next emperor while getting rid of his rivals and enemies
- he's very successful at court politics but I'd love to see how he handles the larger scale of running and protecting Zhaon bc personally I think he's overestimated himself
- on my reread of the first book I skipped a lot of his chapters bc they were boring but I can gladly say he is much more compelling this time round

Sabwone
- her pov is used for us to get a glimpse into Shan and Kiron but as a character she's dull and annoying
- She is very out of her depth and while I do feel sorry for her, her antics and personality are annoying to both me and the people around her
- I personally think Kiron would've been a better choice for insight into Shan.

Gamwone
- awesome character, she's the one you love to hate with major cersei vibes
- She's becoming more unhinged and her sense of self importance just doesn't match with her importance in reality
- Also she's not as slick and she thinks she is which will probably be her downfall bc she's lost all subtly and her hold on everyone she's been manipulating
- constantly outclassed by her son Kurin

Takyeo
- He gets so much depth and similar to Yala he is just completely over with meeting all the expectations thrust upon him
- He just breaks and says fuck it I am no longer a pushover to my shitty dad
- no longer a loyal laphound to his father and stands up to him (FINALLY)
- tragic character bc he just wants out but he can't bc of his sense of duty and honour and he deserves a peaceful, non toxic life with Mahara who he still loves and grieves
- RIP Takyeo you really were one of the most wholesome


Minor characters
Sensheo - thinks he's slick but isn't, honestly he's Very Dumb
Makar - he plots and plots and I hope we see some outcome
Kiron - more charismatic version of Takshin, hope he's still alive bc I would love to see more of him
Tarumon - This man ain't shit, sure you unified Zhaon but bro you can't even deal with your own toxic family, also kind of a shitty dad
Daoyan - his little rebellion against his dad (why does everyone have daddy issues) was interesting as first but have to say not a fan of him acting as if he owns Yala
Zlorih - trying to get his final hurrah and his world is crashing down around him
Kanbina - too sweet for this world, her love for Kai is lovely and her final vindication was satisfying


Now, finally the relationships and romance (even messier):

First of all, let me just scrEAMMMMM
Our main romance is our love triangle (low key square) between Yala, Kai, Takshin and Daoyan.
A disclaimer I am biased towards Kai but honestly they all suck and Yala deserves better.

We see that Yala clearly has romantic feelings for Kai and more brotherly feelings towards Takshin, although this slightly shifted, and Daoyan.

It's made clear that Yala understands that they're all romantically interested in her unlike the previous book so she's no longer a passive partipant thank god and there's less of that male gaze feeling.

Her romance with Kai is so sweet, all the barely repressed feelings and longing is exactly what I crave. I honestly do think he's the best fit for her since he actually considers her more of an equal and gives her more autonomy (I know the bar is so low) compared to the others and I do hope they are endgame somehow. Yala's feelings are strong as well since she even considers abandoning propriety for him.

But the fact is that he is the general that defeated her country and there are a lot of conqueror/coloniser overtones which makes their relationship unbalanced so I am a bit apprehensive, this also applies to Takshin.

Since I am biased towards Kai I will say I screamed and was devastated about Yala's impending marriage to Takshin which I have Issues with but the author did say she writes love stories and a lot of signs point to some resolution of their relationship. Here's to hoping they're endgame, I say as I put on my clown makeup


Takshin and Yala, where do I start.. It's clear that author angled Kai and Takshin as the Hero and the Dark Broody Guy and it is an oversimplification but god I have so many issues with Takshin's possessiveness and manipulation of Yala especially with the marriage contract.

I really do empathise with Takshin, he's never had anything go his way and anything he's ever wanted he never got so now he has no expectations of anything nice for himself and Yala is the ray of light in his life but this set up and putting her on a pedestal is not a healthy start to a romantic relationship.

He clearly idealises Yala and his possessiveness ain't cute and it's becoming clearer and clearer that he is very obsessive over her.

My BIGGEST PROBLEM is that marriage contract bc he obviously trapped her into it and I just want to scream bc he knew that it was manipulative but he didn't care and it makes me so mad. I genuinely liked their relationship in the first book and it's clearly platonic to Yala since she always parallels him to her brother Bai multiple times but I'm slowly starting to dislike it more and more since we get all these 'she can fix me' vibes. Absolutely not.

Takshin is controlling, he forbids her to do things that might be dangerous and would restrict her autonomy all for keeping her safe. I get that it's a dangerous environment but when you clearly don't even begin to understand why Yala needs closure with Mahara that's an issue and it's really telling when we end with Kai understanding that Yala won't stop her vengeance bc it's dangerous but warns her that she might not have a choice with Takshin.

It's funny to me how none of the men esp Kai and Tak acknowledge that Yala might have other men interested in her.

Finally, this brings me to Daoyan, the biggest clown of this circus.

He has the audacity to presume Yala is in love with him, is completely shaken when she isn't (and why would she, she hasn't seen you in years and is not some unchanging monolith), decides that even if she objects he will just kidnap her anyway (wtf !!), completely disregards his involvement in Mahara's assassination (tbh still a bit unclear on this) (gonna love it when this news comes out), willfully misinterprets that Yala chose to go with Mahara to Zhaon, and lastly expects that she will be docile and obedient once they're away like she's meant to ( )