Elvish

This was a really good book. Highly engaging, but not skimping on character development either. The female protagonist Ellina is a very well written character, she is a badass, and we know she is without the prose having to mention it a thousand times like in some other books I have read. The male protagonist Venick is not as well written, but he is quite interesting in his own right.

Most first books in a fantasy series, take some time to build the world, the magic system and flesh out characters, politics, which makes them kind of drag, but not this book. Even though there were not many fight sequences, the story was engaging enough to keep me hooked. But after finishing the book I did come to the realization that the magic system or the political system is not developed enough, but it's fine. Not every book needs to have an incredibly complex magic system or a huge political system full of intrigue.

Now let's come to the main strength of this wonderful book, it makes you feel. Most romances in fantasy go in two ways, either they are drama filled angsty affairs or simply a filler afterthought where one character simply acts as a romantic placeholder for the main character's affection.
For the first time in a long time, I actually care about the romantic arc in a fantasy novel. It is very relevant to the plot and there is no unnecessary drama or angst, and the book manages to make you care about what the characters are feeling in a very subtle way instead of just filling up pages. Definitely looking forward to the second book.