This was the first Fantasy book I've read in a very long time, and it exceeded my expectations. From the very start I was enthralled by the world and creatures of Faerie. It felt as alluring and mystical as the characters saw it as.

In many books, main character can tend to be too flawless and noble in an attempt to get the reader to like and root for them, but that isn't the case with Jude. I loved her character because of just how her flaws and desires developed her character. It felt like she was at constant odds with everyone around her in her attempt to gain any semblance of the power she desired. It's this desire that leads are down a dark and conflicting path that eats at her sanity throughout the entire book. Her pain, annoyance, and anger is never gone; it's just pushed aside until it gets piled on again and again. I felt suffocated so much in this book because I sympathized with the hurdles Jude faced, I could feel the tensions grow inside of her after every incident that knocked her down, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Something I also liked about this book is the dynamic between the three sisters and that we didn't follow Vivie's perspective. On paper Vivie is the most obvious option to make a main character out of. She's the blood daughter of of Madoc, she has powers that her twins don't, and she is at odds with the world she's forced into by her parent's murderer. The seemingly perfect outline of a character to follow in a fantasy. But what helps make this story distinct is the choice to follow a seemingly normal, character who's already adjusted to the Faerie. A character who with only a distant glance you would assume didn't have nearly as much to offer as being the relatively more ordinary sister to Vivie. But that's exactly what plays into Judes favor. Discovering how she, as an accepted member, but still an outsider to the Faerie develops as a character of her own, and in relation to all those around her who do and do not accept her.

Another aspect of the book that I loved is how easily defined most of the main and supporting cast is. The true nature of every character is able to be seen, but not completely revealed. You can guess and anticipate all of their motives and personalities from a few conversations, but you don't have quite enough to be certain of your assumptions and is still reasonably surprised by the revelations Jude discovers. That is excellent character building and storytelling. Even the characters that you should dislike and despise like Cardan and Madoc, are given incredible depth that can make you see them in a more forgiving light. Cardan antagonizes Jude throughout the first half of the story, but by the end while we still see is cruel nature, it's not in the black and white way we saw him in before. Madoc despite being a foe throughout the entire book just at different lengths, never felt like the true enemy that needed to be hated. Which is exactly how Jude felt, despite the terrible things she knew he had done and continued to do, she never actually condemns him as a true monster that she needs to stay away from and hate. Nonetheless though, was a person we easily understood needed to be stopped.

Going in I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but now that I have I cannot wait to go and purchase the rest of this amazing series.