I have to say this was a fantastic book to round out the duology Argyrosi series. It's hard to talk about the story without giving too much away but I will say that I was quite happy that Chrysanthi really got to shine in this story and I loved how her story line ended. I was sad about some characters, not so sad about others lol. The book did end with a few surprises and a few unanswered questions, so I feel like there could have been another book but I was pretty content with how this one ended. I think if you enjoyed the first book you'll definitely enjoy this one as well. ( )

An expansive, heart-wrenching ending to the Argoyrosi children's story.

The four Argyrosi children struggle to find their place after the collapse of their father's rule. Rhea and Chrysanthi find that all is not paradise with the Sxoriza rebels, who are happy to exploit their power but leave them out of major decisions. Even Michali, Rhea's lover who she brought back from the dead, no longer has all the qualities that made Rhea fall for him. Meanwhile, Nitsos leverages his outside connections on a quest from kingdom to kingdom, seeking to harness the Saint's power. Lexos finds himself a prisoner, but a connection with a fellow prisoner brings him closer to real power than he ever dreamed.

Though they all split up, the Argyrosi siblings aren't done with each other, and their fates continue to intertwine, even as it becomes apparent that they won't all survive this new power struggle.

I loved Chrysanthi's story in this book. She never really had a voice in the first one, and she's become my favorite character. Of all of them, her ambition is to love her family and build beauty into the world. She finds the perfect grump to her sunshine in Andrija, her bodyguard turned more who accompanies her on the quests Rhea sends her on across the continent.

This book dove deeper into the mythology of the Saints and what happened when they were all killed years ago, which added some interesting context to the story.

The ending really spoke to the corruption that comes from power and how that destroys lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )