In a world struck by a plague that left its inhabitants with powers. Paedyn is powerless and ordinary. In a land where a purging took place to rid itself of all who were ordinary, Paedyn has to fight everyday to be allowed to live.
When she is the only one able to save a stranger from his attackers, she is whisked away to the castle and deemed the “silver saviour”. She is granted the opportunity to take part in the Purging Trials.
With the spotlight on her, it is a thousand times harder to hide what she truly is - powerless.
The romance in this book was phenomenal. The pining and the angst, the tension and the humour was unmatched.
It is a common trope in fantasy romance, yet it was done very well in this book and I actually felt the connection between the two characters rather than just being told it is there.
It appears as though the book was going for a love triangle- but I think this is definitely not the case as it is very clear from the outset who the love interest is.
There were a few common fantasy tropes in the book that have definitely been overdone in the genre, but it was done well in this book so it does not become an issue.
The main characters were strong and loveable.
Some of the plot twists were a bit predictable but it was still an addictive read.
From the addictive nature of the book and the exciting characters and plot, it is very difficult to give the book anything other than 5 stars, and I can see myself thinking about this book as a favourite of the year.

When I tell you I was hooked, I was completely hooked. For a debut novel, this was so captivating and I enjoyed every second of it. Think Hunger Games but with a magical twist.

'She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine lone between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning'

Synopsis
The Kingdom is ruled by 'Elites', those with great magical power. Those without power are classed as 'Ordinary', hunted to be killed or banished to preserve the Kingdom's Elite society.

Paedyn is just that, an Ordinary, but she was taught from a young age to act like she had power to escape death. She lives on the streets in the slums, surviving through being a thief.

It was through being a thief she meets the Kingdom's future Enforcer, Kai, who is also a Prince. Saving his life meant she got noticed however, meaning the people of the slums want to see her compete in the Purging Trials.

Up against Elites, Pae fights her way through the Trials, striking up a friendship with the future king, Kitt, and a simmering romance with Kai. But what they don't know is that she is Ordinary, and if they ever found out.. they would have to kill her..

'Where he is the Prince, the future Enforcer, the son of the man I hate, I am a Slummer, an Ordinary, the embodiment of the thing he has been taught to hate'.

Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoy books with trials, and this one hit the mark. It's very 'Hunger Games'-esque, with a strong FMC who is fighting to survive.

I was fully invested in the plot, the characters, the trials, fight scenes and the romance brewing between Kai and Pae, I also enjoyed the dual POVs between the two.

I can't wait for the next book, the ending has me wanting more and to see how this all plays out!

'She's a flame, and I'm going to get burned. An ocean and I'm going to drown'.

Thank you to NetGalley for this wishlist copy!

Actually probably more of a 3.5 but not close enough to a 4 for me.

I'm a little torn about this book, on one hand it is advertised as a cross between the Red Queen series and The Hunger Games so I did expect there to be similarities, but on the other I wish there was just a slight bit more originality.

The premise of the story is one I really enjoy, with plenty of ball room scenes which I adore, and LOTS of yearning and angst which was ideal. However, some aspects of the book were getting a bit repetitive, in particular the constant mentioning of daggers to the neck or descriptions of eye colour. The dagger/vicious references were also quite reminiscent of the From Blood and Ash series.

The plot as a whole I did really enjoy and the characters I definitely felt invested in. The end of this book has also left me dying to know what happens next! I'm just hoping that the next one might have fewer similarities to other books.

This is by far the BEST book I’ve read in 2023. I tried so hard to read it slowly because I wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible but still ended up finishing it within two days. Lauren is an incredible author and managed to put everything I love in a fantasy into this book. I was a little skeptical going into it because she described it as Red Queen mixed with The Hunger Games. I’m not a huge Red Queen fan but adore The Hunger Games so I decided to give it a shot and I’m happy I did!

The entire plot is written extremely well and I never felt like it was dragging. I was so happy with the dual POV and loved getting to see inside both MC heads.

The slow burn romance is perfect. There’s knife to throat scenes, ballroom scenes, tending to wound scenes and so much more!! Somehow Lauren managed to put in all the tropes without it feeling like she was shoving them down your throat. I think the trial scenes were my favorite parts of the whole book.

The ending though!! Seriously it was so sad to watch everything play out. It was easy to call what was going to happen but it was still heartbreaking to watch all those relationships crumble because of her decisions. I really need book two NOW!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to review!