5 stars I received an ARC of this novel, which is related to the Kingdom of the White Sea series. This one addresses the origination of the house of Blackwood, focusing on Evrathedyn Blackrook of Longwood Rush and Rhosynora Ravenwood of Midnight Crest. Having read the Kingdom series, I knew the legend of a Ravenwood who left Midnight Crest for a human of the Kingdom. However, I didn’t remember their names, and there were times when I questioned whether these two might not be the actual couple in the story. Their path to happiness together is by no means guaranteed and the horrors each of them must endure are significant. For me, the story started off a bit more slowly than some of the others. At first, I had some difficulty immersing myself in the setting. This might be because there was so much jumping around from one character to the next. Normally, Sarah Cradit does such a deft job of transitioning that it causes the story to flow inexorably toward the final destination. This time, it didn’t quite work for me. Initially. Once I had been drawn into the story, however, I found it impossible to put the book down. In fact, I stayed up hours past my bedtime because I just had to know the resolution. This story delves into the nature of love and how it can be defined in so many ways. Rhosyn has never really experienced love from her family, but she understands it because she has seen it with the Frosts (the family who has an alliance with the Ravenwoods). Evra doesn’t believe in love because his father was so abusive and his mother was unable to protect him as he needed. He has sworn to never fall in love or marry, so imagine his surprise when he finds himself drawn to Rhosyn so strongly, knowing they can never be together. Meanwhile, Rhosyn both hates and loves Evra and curses him for making her see that love is possible when she knows she can never have it. Both Rhosyn and Evra, without realizing the other’s motivations, sacrifice their own happiness for the other. It’s reminiscent of The Gift of the Magi, while entirely different, of course. Bottom line: The book is exciting, emotional, and memorable. I recommend it. November 17, 2021
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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