Dark fantasy that explores the line between magic and insanity.
This was a hauntingly dark book that had me guessing a lot of the time. I am a fan of dark fantasy and this was probably some of the darkest I have read in a long time.
"Something dark, something dangerous has been stalking
me from the shadows of sleep and it's getting closer" - Sasha
👍 What I Liked 👍
Premise: Sasha is a ballerina who suffers from nightmares. But the nightmares become increasingly real and soon she is pulled into the magical world of her nightmares. I really liked this idea of 'madness' as a result of magic from another world. It was a very interesting and compelling premise.
Darkness: This book has pretty much everything of the dark variety - slavery, madness, nightmares, repression, the whole shebang. I loved the nitty, gritty feeling of this book, the clawing darkness, the oppressive feeling I had all the way through. Sure, it had bursts of happiness and joy, but they were fleeting. And honestly, I kind of liked that.
"It's about freedom, not love."
- Sasha
Characters: This book has many different characters that I enjoyed, I even liked hating on the bad characters. Sasha, our heroine, is determined but also fragile - a combination I really liked. Luca, our love interest, was sweet, heroic and pretty much everything a knight in shining armor should be. Sadra, Sasha's best friend, was strong and resilient, just as I like it.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
World building: This is set in a clearly rich world, however, I was missing more knowledge of it. It has many different facets - Light, Gifts, the Pall, factions, monarchy and so much more. I was wishing for more elaboration on these different things that made up the world of this book.
Read it if you like: Dark fantasy, ballet, Black Swan
⭐⭐⭐⭐
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review