Well, this is perfection. I absolutely LOVED every moment of this duology. Sophie and Kasten are absolutely the best, and I adored how their relationship grew, and still continued to evolve all the way to the end of the book with indications that it would continue to do so even after the last line came to an end. This is one of the best, most endearing explorations of what a healthy relationship looks like and how those are ever-evolving. Happily ever after isn't static. It's an ever-changing dance where two people have to constantly close the distance, communicate, and find the middle ground in order to continue existing in harmony. Ivinya portrays that with deftness and grace, and a level of maturity so rarely seen in the young adult genre.
Added to this deep examination of healthy romantic relationships there's adventure, scientific experiments and explorations that offer up the "magic" in this brilliantly crafted world, and even a very real risk of the zombie apocalypse. I absolutely adored the low fantasy quality of this series, which is more science focused than the classic magic of wands, runes and staves. Here, the magic is all about harnessing energy in different ways and using it to do miraculous things (or truly evil things, as the case may be).
I loved the cast of characters. They were all fascinating people and I loved their quirks. The exploration of evil was also brilliant in this book, showcasing the evil of people with power and money who care nothing for the consequences of their actions. I've always loved how this author portrays our potential for doing evil, and never shies away from showing that even the greatest of heroes have darkness lurking within them, and that doing the right thing is a choice made actively every time.
In all honesty, this is one of the best duologies I've ever read, and I definitely believe you should be dropping everything and diving right in! It's skyrocketed to my faves!
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