I give this (audio)book 11 out of 10⭐️! I dragged my feet getting started because I wasn’t in the mood for a dystopian book, especially since it was not the sequel to Conform, which left off with such a suspenseful cliffhanger. The Goodreads reviews were spot on and now I get why people are raving about it! I was enthralled throughout the whole story causing me to binge the 15 hr audiobook in less than 24 hours. I was absolutely blown away by the world building, the character depth and growth and the freaking romance! Be still my heart!❤️ The pacing was perfection with a nice balance of action and romance and an impressive way of unfolding the history and the world building in a way that didn’t feel like an info dump. I feel like this prequel trilogy has the potential to outshine the Conform books set in the future. I really liked Conform, quite a bit actually, but this particular book had my heart in a chokehold and my pulse pounding in a way that Conform did not for me. I connected with this book and the characters on such a deeper level. They seem like they were much more fleshed out and deliciously flawed, leaving room for wonderful growth arc opportunities in future books. I absolutely loved the found family and the interactions between them. One reviewer said there were too many characters to keep up with, but I didn’t find that to be true at all because they were so well written and unforgettable, I could picture each one as they were flipping shit at each other. I think the found family trope is my new favorite right up there with enemies to lovers.
Speaking of lovers… let’s get on to the romance… Hello Tristian, my new favorite book boyfriend! Welcome to the club! You can sit between Rhysand and Xaden (aka Xaddy). They’re both very welcoming. Seriously this guy! From the moment he entered the story my heart was lost to him and I just kept falling deeper and deeper in love as the story went on. It was hard to watch parts of their relationship developing. I wanted so badly for the FMC to give the MMC a real chance and let him in, but she was so broken and closed off for so long I questioned if she would be able to come back from it. So while it irritated me at moments, I also completely understood her behavior and couldn’t blame her after the trauma she had endured. I will say her character growth in particular was incredibly touching to see unfold with his steadfast loyalty and belief in her. It reminded me of Cassian’s encouragement and tenacity with Nesta in ACOSF and how he kept holding out his hand to her until she finally took it. The chemistry between the two was absolutely sizzling and even though there wasn’t a high level of spice, it was so incredibly hot I was literally fanning myself and relieved I was at home and didn’t have to put on a public poker face while they were scorching up my speaker.
I will be first in line to get my ears on the second audiobook in this prequel trilogy. This is now at the top of my list of most anticipated releases along with the 2 forthcoming ACOTAR books. I’m all in! I drank all the Kool-Aid and I don’t regret a single moment of it! I have a feeling this story is going to stay with me for a long time so it definitely goes on the hard to let go shelf. I will say the cliffhanger was not as brutal as I thought it would be. It definitely leaves the story with a wretched twist at the end but it’s a good place to pause. This has laid a very strong foundation and set up the sequel to explode with angst, action and more scorching romance between our MMCs.