big thank you to netgalley, harpercollins uk, and sue lynn tan for this arc.

4 stars.

as i was reading this book, i wondered at the amount of stars i would give it. i find rating books so difficult sometimes, especially when, as this one, it excelled in certain parts while it lacked in others. so, i just went with my gut and went with four. (though on a different day, i might have gone with less.)

the author certainly has a way with words. she writes beautifully, there is no doubt about that, and i will for sure read her other books (which, i am ashamed to admit, i have not read yet. even though i own the beautiful fairyloot editions, and i should definitely elevate them on my tbr). i also loved this world and its characters. the almost claustrophobic feeling of being in a walled-in city with no escape grasped me as if i were there.

one of the weaker points of this book, to me, was the romance. the dialogue between our fmc and mmc felt forced throughout most of the book, and i just didn't feel it. this should have been a series, so that these characters could have thrived together instead of being thrown at each other. and i *get* that's the whole thing of this book, but it didn't work for me personally. it's the standalone curse, and my love for slowburns, and it's definitely a me-problem, but i can't help but remark on it regardless.

anyways, still a very good book. would i recommend it? absolutely. for its scenery, the writing, the characters. would i read it again? probably not. but i will definitely read the celestial kingdom series.

"To win the God of War's support was wise - to fall in love with him would ruin him"

Oh my, Sue Lynn Tan's books just keep getting better and better. Expect forbidden love, courtly intrigue and a dark and mysterious force about to befall the realm.

Long along Liyen's kingdom pledged to serve the immortals and since then have been cut off from the rest of the world. The alliance with the immortals should safe guard her people, but everything is thrown into the air when her grandfather takes what the immortals queen wants in order to save the life of the his granddaughter. Can Liyen save her people? And will the God of War help her in her quest?

The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat. The romance WELL, oh my. Is perfection.