★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I dived into this book once I finished Spin the Dawn. This is, by far, one of my favourite series. I never got tired of Elizabeth Lim's writing. I was enraptured all the way, down from the choice of words — that lyrical prose — to the plot and her characters. When I thought I'd seen it all, I was left surprised time and time again.
Maia continued to be strong throughout the story. The change was creeping up on her, and she struggled to fight the demon inside for as long as she could, try to buy herself time. There was a lot of pessimism in the process of trying to find a cure for this transformation, and Maia was down on her luck. She was left disappointed a lot of times, and I felt for her. I always had this feeling that she was going to have a good ending, but for a time, I was as demotivated. Even Edan's magic couldn't save her, so what could?
I would also like to make a special mention to Lady Sarnai, because throughout it all, I really am impressed. The parts I loved most in this book wasn't even the moments between Edan and Maia, but Lady Sarnai and the parts she played in bringing victory to the war alongside the tailor and enchanter she despised before. Her character was interesting, and so was her backstory. I also felt terrible for her after learning of her ending, because even though everything ended well in her favour, there was also a debate on that. Those she cared for, or at least had a form of camaraderie with, gone. No one stayed by her side. It was tragic, but I knew she would continue to soldier on, just as she had all those years. Oh, and joke's on those backward ministers who didn't want to bow down to a woman.
All in all, I'm ecstatic that I got to read this duology. Excellent writing, intrigue and characters. Perfectly original ideas, too, that leave readers drowning in twists, prompting them to want for more, more and more. I absolutely can't wait for my next Elizabeth Lim's read.