Once again, the genius that is Bridget E. Baker has flipped the script! Just when I think the antagonist's actions are UNFORGIVABLE, we switch POVs to delve into the complicated and twisted backstory. We find ourselves rooting for her and empathizing with her even in her darkest deeds. This is a stunning penultimate story that I'm sure is leading to an even more gripping finale!

You won’t be able to put it down.

I am not sure if this book I love to hate or if I hate to love it. It kept me hooked but I wanted to shake Inara. I wanted to scream at Ammon. I wanted to hug Gideon and tell him to run away. And then I wanted to cry for characters who I didn’t much like in previous books. And then I wanted to tell Chancery that she needs to wake up and stop wishing away her position. Yikes, what a mess this family is. And yet, I can’t wait to read the next book. Certainly, it can’t be as bad as it sounds. Certainly there has to be some hope for our favorite characters. Certainly someone has to have a happy ever after when all we have seen so far is love triangles, tragedy, and heartbreak. As always, I love the narrator of this book series.

What would you do if you devoted your entire life (and as an evian, that’s more than just a few decades) to preparing to lead your people, sacrificing personal hopes and dreams and undergoing torture in the effort to make the world a safer place…only to be betrayed over and over by those you serve? This is the question Inara faces. The man she loves more than life itself is ripped away “for the greater good,” along with her best friend. And after all the sacrifices she has made to rule, the throne is taken away as well, leaving her wondering about her purpose in life. But when an opportunity comes to possibly reset some of what went wrong for her, can she take it? This book…oh my. It goes deep into the struggles of a person who loves and suffers intensely, giving a both joyful and heart-rending view of Inara’s joys and sorrows, and asking the hard question: what do you do in an impossible situation? And when you’ve made a mistake, can you come back? Now I desperately need the next book so I can see the conclusion of Inara’s story!