ŷ������

** spoiler alert ** I ended feeling wrecked!

This world was just pretty depressing overall. There’s misogyny and racism to the max, and super heavy themes throughout.

Sciona is the first female highmage in history, using magic to try and expand the barrier protecting their world from the “blight�� - a force that kills living things. Her assistant Thomil is a Kwen, a race that is considered lesser than and expendable - but he ends up opening her eyes to so many things.

Most of the story focuses on them and Sciona’s journey, and realizing she was self absorbed and ignorant of the world.

One thing I could’ve done without was the hint of romance which as a romance reader surprised me!! I thought Sciona and Thomil just had too much bad blood between them for it, and she says and thinks so many hurtful things toward him and his people that it wasn’t totally jiving with me even after she changed. But it’s really not a main focus at all and I could sort of see the reason.

Otherwise, it was a story about corruption and power and greed and human nature.

I was definitely sobbing at the end, so that will always get a lot of stars and have me remembering a book!