"a great alternate reality to characters that deserved better. marketing this as a zutara spin to pull people in was really smart and while reading i definitely saw that inspiration but i really appreciated how the plot developed in its own way and didn't rely too heavily on that. i don't read first person pov super often but this was done well and the internal monologue/stream of consciousness sold this novel for me. so much of it is character-driven to see the growth of koraine and bellamy which helped me connect and get invested into the story. my only critique (comment) is that it feels too fast-paced for my taste. this is only 300 pages and making it longer to fill in some time gaps/explore the progression of koraine and bellamy's relationship would have been welcome. i got that towards the end but seeing more of it throughout the novel would have helped. i think i just like longer books. aside from the main characters, there is surprising depth to the side characters that i didn't anticipate but solidified a lot of relationships and motivations. the only one i need more on is nyla and Abelon's king because it felt surface level and is relevant to the plot.
overall: super fun read, twist at the end was lovely and i'm excited for book 2! slower plot advancements would have been nice"