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Unfortunately, to be honest, I don’t know if I would’ve finished this one if I hadn’t gotten it from NetGalley.

What I liked:
– Persian & Indian-inspired mythology
– The book starts off like The Selection with a Hunger Games twist.
– While there’s obviously a book 2 planned, this book has a satisfying end that feels like a complete arc

What I didn’t like:
– Honestly, the main characters just fell flat for me. I felt like their personalities & the chemistry between them didn’t quite pop, and the spice/lustiness felt like it didn’t quite fit somehow — almost like it was added just so it could fit under the romantasy label.

– The Selection/Hunger Games set-up resolves surprisingly quickly (maybe at like the 25% mark) and from there, although l liked the idea of some of the developments, in general, it just felt like the plot dragged. (However that could’ve been because I was connecting to the characters)

All that to say, while this book wasn’t really for me, if you’re a romantasy fan who loves a strong side of mythology, it might be for you!

⭐⭐⭐½

Thanks for reading!