This book was probably the biggest surprise favorite I have ever come across. It’s basically the Hunger Games but with vampires. I personally am not into the vampire thing at all. Drinking blood, attraction to someone because of their blood, and having fangs is just not interesting to me. However, my main association with vampires was Twilight, which was definitely not for me. But, I had multiple people tell me to read this and I am so glad that I did.

Oraya is the human adopted daughter of a vampire king. She has been hunted by other vampires her whole life and has been trained as a warrior by her father to protect herself. She enters the Kejari, which is a deadly combat tournament held by the goddess of death. Winning the tournament grants you one wish that can be anything, which Oraya plans to use to make herself formidable among vampires. In the tournament, there are warring vampire houses which adds to the tension and violence. Oraya finds herself forced to ally with vapires of an opposing political house which makes things complicated!

Oraya is such an interesting heroine. She is a smart, ruthless, yet loyal assassin who is also looking for belonging and acceptance, at any violent cost. She’s one of the most complicated and nuanced heroines I’ve ever read. She is such a badass and we are rooting for her the whole time, chaotic choices and all.

Vincent is also so complicated! Like Oraya, we love him and we also kinda hate him. Although, toward the end we super hate him.. but then.. RAIHN REALLY DID THAT so we kinda feel sad for Oraya even though Vincent, while he cared about Oraya in his own way, was always looking out for himself and only got along with Oraya when she thought and did exactly as he wanted her to.

Raihn was a great character. He is patient and compassionate but also ruthless ( that ENDING!). I loved he and Oraya together but they honeslty gave Rey stabbing Kylo Ren and then falling for each other vibes.

I cannot believe he took that crazy turn in the end. I will never get over it. When Oraya’s one wish was that Raihn won the Kejari, after they had brutally fought each other in hand-to-hand combat and then Nyaxia was like “lol OK!” and then Raihn MURDERED HER FATHER and took her captive as a wife.. I was silently shrieking into my Kindle in the dark trying not to wake my husband next to me. Carissa Broadbent really did that. I still weirdly root for them as a couple tho?! I feel like now that they’re husband and wife, there will be a redemption arc of sorts for Raihn but also how could he and Oraya have a real marriage since he MURDERED HER FATHER!

This is the most surprising ending I’ve ever read as well as my favorite. Although A Court of Mist and Fury’s ending is close behind. I love an ending that I didn’t predict but it also doesn’t feel like a reach or a shock grab. It was well earned and made sense but also, I could never have seen it coming.

I did gag a little at the blood drinking and the erotic blood stuff because I really don’t like blood but that didn’t overshadow the rest of the book for me. The cave scene was… a lot. And then the descriptions of the vampires drinking goblets of blood was gross. This is the kind of vampire thing that does not work for me.

Mische was sunshine and I’m so excited that the next books will focus on her!