I really enjoyed this book. Having not read the first in the series (To Kill a Kingdom), I was a bit concerned that I would have missed something, but it works really well as a stand-alone book. The author has done really well at creating a world which is similar to ours but mysterious and different enough to make you believe that witches and magic could exist. I loved the blossoming romance between Nox and Selestra, but it wasn't saccharine-sweet and unbelievable - there were enough characters to dislike to make you root for the heroes. There was always something happening in the story to keep you engaged, and the emotions that the characters felt were really well described, as were the characters themselves - it was clever alternating the chapters from Nox's and Selestra's points of view. It's described as a young adult book, but I found it engaging and likeable, even as an adult.