Okay folks. It’s official. This is the best book of 2020. It was a close one between Crescent City HOEAB and Chain of Gold but I think this takes the ticket. First of all, that COVER. Stunning. It is easily the prettiest thing on my bookshelf right now.

There are a lot of things about this book that created its 5 star rating for me. AND I’ll try to make this review as spoiler free as possible as I’m aware this is still a new release! I will say this to note however, it is typical Sarah J. Maas style. What I mean by that is that, I love SJMaas. I think her writing is fantastic. It’s right up my street with the perfect balance of fiction series that are romantic, fantastical, humourous and dramatised. I’m aware that her writing isn’t for everyone, even though she does have a huge fanbase now. Although pitched as a new-adult book, I would say this is definitely on a par with ACOTAR. ToG is definitely a slightly lower level of maturity and developed writing, still fantastic storylines and plot but it doesn’t provide the same impression that I got from Crescent City and ACOTAR. I would therefore say that this novel is either still falling within the realms of YA fiction (definitely the more mature side) or that ACOTAR is in fact New-Adult also. What are your thoughts on this?

This book had so much going for it. SO MUCH! A well-developed, explained and heart-wrenching friendship duo. A brooding love interest with all the angst and baggage that makes him the perfect match for our equally angsty and bagged-laiden protagonist. Dual-perspectives from both love-interests to highlight their growing relationship from different angles and draw the reader in further. Fantasy world created (modernised) full of werewolves, mer people, fae, humans, demons and almost every creature you can think of. Who else hadn’t heard of a nokk before? Apparently it’s a real mythical creature! Also can I just put a shout-out to Maas for including humans AND fae in this – I love when real-life beings (us) are put into fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian novels.

Although I have rated this 5 stars, I have to admit that the beginning was a bit slow. There is a lot of world-building and it makes it so hard to stay engaged in the characters. If you are also experiencing this slow trawl through the first 100 pages – I beg of you to stick with it. Totally worth it – just for the absolute anarchy that is Chapter 80-81. WOAH. WOAH WOAH WOAH. If you’ve read it, you know.

The SJMaas cocktail strikes again and I can’t wait for the next installment in the series. Holy moly. I’m ready.