Picking up right where we left off in the previous book, vol. 9 sees the continuation of Mia's quest to stop Sion from dying in his youth. The attempt on Sion's life itself already failed by the end of vol. 8, except it leads to an even bigger problem that not only involves Sunkland's royal family, but also Sunkland's upright principle of justice itself.

This ties all the way back to Mia's memories of her first life, including her regrets, bitterness, and also fond memories of her journey with Ludwig. Despite her still being the same old, selfish Mia on the inside, she has nothing but good intentions when dealing with the situation. This book also sees the conclusion of the love triangle involving Mia, Abel, and Sion. As we all know, Mia marries Abel in the future so Sion's love for her is fated to be doomed, but her response to his confession is just so sincere. It made me realize that Mia really has grown so much, because vol. 1 Mia would 100% be petty about this.

Since the love triangle is no more, the story opens up the path towards the question I've been wondering about for a while now. What happened to Sion and Tiona? We did see what the future had for them after Mia's death, but in the current timeline they've been mostly just friends because Sion is in love with Mia. Now that it's been resolved, it's finally time for Tiona to step in and fill in the role she was meant to play all along. It links nicely to Sion and Tiona's future, as well as showing glimpses of Esmeralda's marriage to Echard, and also Sion's relationship with Echard. Everything is wrapped up neatly in the end.

Personally, I really liked that Sion and Mia aren't meant to be because Sunkland and its people are too important for him to let go. He can't just leave them behind to follow her. It provides a nice contrast to Abel and his sole devotion towards Mia.

Next, to Equestrian Kingdom!

Probably my favourite volume thus far. The series has surprised me with its political intrigue even though I've ultimately been a little disappointed at the driving engine making all this intrigue political

(the Chaos Serpents)

. 

The continued character development of the main kiddos is such a rewarding experience. Mia continues to be an excellently written character with her flaws never being washed away, but neither does her kindness and emotional perceptiveness and refusal to Not make things better when she has the opportunity to get left in the wayside. Genuinely so touched by Sion's emotional arc in this and I appreciate how his feelings were given the time and attention they deserved both by the narrative and the other characters. 

You don't often see unrequited love get this mature and heartfelt treatment. Good for him and Mia and Tiona!!!!

The emotional beats don't come often, but when they do they goddamn HIT.

Speaking of,:

Any time Ludwig and Mia from the previous timeline come up, my heart genuinely clenches. You can feel the weight of that relationship, deep if begrudging respect and sincere affection from both sides. They've been through a lot more thick than thin and you can FEEL it.