As someone who is usually quite picky with the fantasy books I read and enjoy, I really enjoyed this book.

While the world building had room for development, the characters, plot and overall writing had me not wanting to put the book down. This book does end with lots of stones left unturned, and character storylines unfinished, however this is definitely a series I will be following and seeing where it goes!

This book gave me dystopian vibes - it was plot driven and I really enjoyed the story. The world was easy to understand and it jumped right in to the action.

It would’ve been nice to have a bit more character development, especially during Louisa’s training. That said, the story is clearly the first in an installment so hopefully there’ll be more in the next book. There are also still parts of the world / backstory that I’m hoping will be developed in future books.

Would recommend for fans of Hunger Games/Divergent style books! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The 2010’s dystopia vibes are back! This book was such a fun read! It gives of vibes of Divergent or Red Queen, while still being original and having an intriguing world! I will warmly recommend it for people who love reading about revolutions and morally grey characters.

This story follows Louisa, and I’ve got to admit, I feel for the girl. She’s grown up knowing she’ll be conscripted to the military, wants to do nothing more but keep her twin brother safe, and is suddenly one of the most important pieces in a war that started before she was born.

I love the revelations coming throughout the story. I like the different parts of the story as well, giving the reader a great scope of the world: from phantom training to the lush lives in Ravenna to the war touched lives in the Black Hills. I loved how Lucien - the king of the revolution - isn’t just misunderstood. He is a grey character, and I’d even say a bad man - though so is the people ruling Verakas. I loved how there is no good and bad, it’s all bad, and Louisa is just trying to get her brother out alive. I’m excited to see if her plan will work out in the next book, because man, she deserves something to go her way.

I also enjoyed the hint of romance we see here. Jack definitely seems the morally grey love interest of most book girls’ dreams, and I’m excited to see how it’ll all play out further down the line. I also hope we get to see some of the other phantoms again - whether on opposite sides from Louisa or the same.

One thing that kept both annoying me and entertaining me was Louisa’s many bad decisions. She probably did everything the exact opposite of what would have been smart, however, you don’t need to get very far into the book to know that that’s exactly her character! She doesn’t care about what others say, she makes her own way. Of course, that is difficult in this world, which leads to a lot of trouble, but I’ve got to admire the way her personality fits perfectly with the story as it plays out!

I would have liked to see more fleshed out side characters. I felt the only character we really got to know was Louisa, as we spent the book following her. But I’d love to see more of the other characters fleshed out as well, from Daria and Roman to Jack, Marcus and Lucien. Hopefully we’ll get that down the line.
Overall, 4/5 . I really enjoyed the book, and I’m excited for the next installment! Really a perfect read for people who love books such as Divergent, Red Queen or even the academic setting in Fourth Wing.

The strength of this book is the writing. Quincy is a strong author and I was generally very interested in the setting and the world building. I would have loved a map. That being said, there is nothing new or groundbreaking with this - you can predict the beats pretty easily. I can see YA readers enjoying this more than adults who read YA.

I’m grateful I’ve been able to read this early, I am intrigued by this story.

This book is fairly short and my only gripe is that I wish it was longer so I could have more questions answered.

The FMC is in a fairly precarious position no matter what she does in this story and there’s no good solution by the looks of it. This world is in a dire political scenario where there is constant battles between black hills and their neighbour, this on going war is causing havoc in everyones lives. All first borns are currently conscripted to fight in this war and this is where the story begins following our FMC who sadly is first born and must begin her required sentence of conscription.

As the story goes on we learn a lot about the warring factions, our FMC and her family background plus what they all seem to be fighting for, BUT I have questions still. At the moment the story feels kind of surface level, it’s not giving up the secrets easily, I think maybe in book 2 we’ll move past the fighting and gore in order to delve into the core of what started this all and what could end it.

I’m rating this 3.5 stars rounded to 4, I’m looking forward to finding out more in the next book.

At first I wasn't sure what to think about this--you get thrown right into it without much world building initially, but after the first few chapters it really picked up and then stayed exciting throughout! I only found the beginning a bit slow because the MC Louisa's personality/ life is mostly told rather than shown, but as the story goes on her personality really comes through and she has a strong voice. In other words, it felt like at the beginning I was told that Louisa was a bit self-destructive and strong-headed, but it took a little bit for me to feel completely convinced of her conviction.

I really appreciated that almost no aspect of this novel was black and white--essentially every character and situation operated in a very grey area which lent itself to a lot of interesting moral issues for Louisa & the reader. I think a lot of what makes dystopian stories interesting was well executed in this novel, so anyone who enjoys the genre should most likely enjoy this!

The only real complaint I have with this was that the romance was so rushed that it almost didn't make sense. The novel wasn't too long so there probably would have been room to add more development to their relationship as well as Louisa's relationships with her peers, but it definitely seems like it'll be further developed in a sequel. However, the romance really is a small part of the novel, so, in my opinion, the fact that it's lacking did not take away much from the story at all.

There's lots of things left unanswered so I'm excited for the sequel and to see where this all goes! I felt like the ending was the right amount of fulfilling and suspenseful, to both warrant a sequel but not leave the reader wanting too too much.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC & congrats to Grace Quincy on your debut novel! :)

I posted very similar feedback on Goodreads today (1/2/25), and that review can be accessed through the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7131293351

"My chances of survival depend on the failure of others."

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

To start I will say that this was a very fun and entertaining read. It is young adult dystopian fantasy story that follows our main character, Louisa, as she navigates the difficulties that come with being conscripted into the Phantom Division as a spy for her kingdom in the middle of a time where they are plagued with war.

This story did not bring any new or genre altering ideas to the reader, but it was an entertaining read that had interesting and enjoyable characters. My biggest wish is that the story were significantly more fleshed out. I was hoping we would get more development from the characters as well as their relationships with one another. The pacing felt rushed and the story premise is interesting enough that I would have gladly and easily sat through a longer story to get more details.

All that to say, this was a promising first book in the series and with how it ended, I am VERY excited to hear more about a potential second book!

4.5
I wasn't sure what to expect when I began this book but I ended up really enjoying it!

It began quite typically with some classic dystopian tropes like enforced military survice and a flawed class system, however, it really grew into something more unique. What really stood out to me was the flawed nature of the protagonist and the impossibility of her situation.

Quite often in a Ruling class vs Rebellion set up there is a clear "good" side but both sides in this tale are equally brutal and selfish, making the peril of Louisa's situation captivating.
The protagonist (Louisa) is wreckless, stubborn and brash but also deeply likable. Unlike a lot of female protagonists she doesn't have a temper that leads to charming or sharp witted banter, she is just moody and sarcastic - as I would be in her situation too! It makes her eminently more realistic and relatable... for me anyway.

Definitely something for the Hunger Games/Divergent fans and those that enjoy a tale of espionage. I eagerly and impatiently await the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley and Grace Quincy for this ARC book. 4/5 stars. This book had good pacing, but there were moments that I wished there was more detail. The romance aspect felt very rushed. I wanted more tension and interaction between the two. That being said, this is the first book in a series, and the ending tension promises so much more drama in book 2. I really enjoyed the twists, especially with Louisa’s heritage. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, but felt it needed more to be a five-star read. There were too many times things seemed to be skipped over to get to the next part of the story.

Louisa and her twin are separated by circumstances of their society. Louisa, as the oldest, must serve her country. She’s chosen to become a Phantom (spy) and attends training. Her brother…disappears, and she is desperately trying to find him again.

Louisa experiences so much in her time training to be a spy and then she’s thrown into the deep end of the Black Hills, enemy territory. She’s faces romance, betrayal, and familial drama.

She wavers between her country and the life Black Hills promises, but is abandoning her Phantom role worth the cost her brother might pay?!

I was so obsessed with this book i read it in 4 hours!

This story is largely plot driven, but it is fast and very engaging, once i started reading i couldn’t stop. It follows Louisa, who like all first born children is conscripted upon coming of age. I really enjoyed the internal dilemmas of a girl trying to find out the truth about herself and where she belongs. The story lacks major character developments and backstory for most of the characters, however i believe this is the first book in a series so i am excited to read more and learn about these characters more in future books. There was what i believe to be the start of a found family developing and i’d love to see where it goes!

The ending definitely left me wanting more!!!

4.75 ⭐️

Like every first born child, Louisa is conscripted to fight when she turns 18. But she could not predict what she will learn about herself, the fight, and the difficult choices she will have to make.

I really enjoyed the main character, Louisa, who is someone who is a bit lost and trying to find out who she is and what her loyalties are. I also really appreciated that the book very quickly drew a strong relationship between Louisa and Oliver. So much of her motivation is their close relationship and the book really quickly established the bond and connection. I also enjoyed Louisa's love interest, Jack, and the mystery around her parents.

This book is clearly the first in a series, and so the characters don't really get complete satisfying arcs in the book. I am excited to read the next one, but disappointed that the book didn't really end with any sort of closure.

I would recommend this book at anyone who enjoys YA romantic dystopian fiction, such as Hunger Games, or Divine Rivals

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining dystopian read and was vastly plot driven. I feel the story definitely told more than it showed, which a lot of fantasy books are suffering from nowadays. I enjoy bits of action throughout the story, and there just wasn't much action until towards the end.

The characters also did not have a lot of development throughout the story either. We have a lot of this is the character, this is what they're doing now and how they are. Not much background was given on some of the supporting characters. The story was fast paced though so it did have a good flow to it and was still able to keep my attention. It had good twists as well that I was not expecting.

I don't know if I would be interested enough to pick up the sequel to the book as it looks like we may be going in that direction, unless some changes were made, but definitely give this a try as you may like it.