I had high expectations for this one, because the blurb promised some intangeling stories and I normally love to put all the connections together. This book could not quite live up to that, but was entertaining none the less. The chapters switch between two POVs: Eliana's and Rielle's. Both girls are very similar to each other. They are fierce, brave, powerful and adored. Those I the best qualities for two bad ass female protagonists. They pursue very different paths, one thinks she is a monster and might not even be, the other one thinks herself a saint, which also might not be so true. This contrary representation of the two chracters, who besides this seem to be so alike, was very interesting to read. I acutally liked Eliana's story a bit better, because I kind of already knew most of Rielle's story. Now we come to the - in my opinion - worst mistake the author made: the prologue. The prologue is set in the future from Rielle's story, but in the past from Eliana's point of view. So I knew what would happen to Rielle in the end and where her story was headed. I didn't really see the point to read about all the trials she had to face, when I knew exactly where this would lead her. It made whole tension of her POV go away. This prologue also anticipated most of the plottwists in Eliana's POV. So I wasn't surprised by most of them, even though without the prologue they would have been shocking. Besides that I enjoyed Eliana's story a lot. She seems to be so fearless, but when with her brother she becomes tender and caring, even though she would never admit that out loud. Her brother is my favorite character in this story, he is very innocent, a storyteller and makes everyone around him feel good about themselves. I also liked the other "protagonist" in her POV a lot: Simon, who is so very mysterious and about whom I hope to uncover more in the next book. In conclusion the story is very entertaining, but the author didn't make use of all the potential. The worldbuilding was solid. And while it could not fascinate me in the beginning, I could not put it down in the end.

Rating: 4⭐️

It was me, not the book (i think). I just didn’t care at all about the characters and had to dnf unfortunately

<blockquote><b><i>“We all have darkness inside us, Rielle,” he said, his voice rough. “That is what it means to be human.”</i></b></blockquote>I can't believe it took me this long to pick this book up! When it first came out, it didn't pick my interest, and only recently, after a friend recommended it to me, I decided to give it a shot. Well, I'm happy I did! I was immediately drawn into the story from the prologue and was interested in the characters and the world. I found it very interesting how the narrative jumps from past & present, linking the lives of these two women and how, often, their situations are paralleled - although it tended to finish the POVs in a cliffhanger, and since the next chapter will be about the other MC, I had to get back to her story and wait till that is finished (in a cliffhanger, as well) to get back to the previous POV to know what happens next. At times, that was a bit of a bummer and my brain took a while to switch between the stories, but after a while, I got used to it and it flowed better. The world-building is a bit simple, but it is interesting enough and is very well built. I enjoyed the overall plot, the pacing, and how layered and complex the characters (all of them) are. The main plot twist was predictable from the start, and it's clear who is the Blood Queen and who is the Sun Queen, and though we already know the path of one of our MCs, is still interesting to follow her journey till that point. Both Rielle and Eliana are likable characters, although it took me a while to warm up to the latter. Overall, a very strong fantasy book, and one I highly recommend to all fantasy lovers out there. I can't wait to pick up the sequel and see what's in store for Rielle and Eliana.