The second thing that sort of bothered me and kept me from giving this 5 stars, was the fact that the main character is a little too much YA coded and sometimes, unfortunately, feels too much of a Mary Sue for her own good, not too mention she was the epitome of TSTL. I wanted to strangle her a couple times during some scenes, but then she finally redeemed herself and I understood that her being unsufferable was probably part of her character's arc. There's a super cool magic system, Lyr's sisters who I need to know more about, and a setting that I can't wait to delve into in the sequel. But most of all...there's Rhyan.

We follow Lady Lyriana, of Ka Bamaria / Heir to Arksava, on her journey of self-discovery and protection of those she loves. As a lady, she enjoys all of the perks and fluff of a noble born heir, until her world is turned upside down amidst political turmoil and unforeseen magical happenstances. She is determined to come out the other side stronger, and we love a powerful leading lady!!!! Lyr’s own cousin was executed for wielding the wrong kind. And for years, Lyr has sworn to protect her older sisters, helping them conceal their own illicit magic. The world building was amazing! It managed to create and explain this whole world without me feeling lost once! (Although, I probably should have read the glossary at the end first—😩) The world building was so unique. *chef's kiss* In my mind, I think the world was like if Atlantis crossed over with ancient Egypt, with seraphim, gryphons, and an assortment of other magical characters. Cue uncontrollable screaming because that is what I am currently doing after finishing this absolute MASTERPIECE!!*

See a Problem?

There were of course many other characters, but Lyr and Rhyan were my favorite. Other than Lyr's sister, Morgana who we meet a few times. "Put your Godsdamned arm down. I'm not flashing tattoos every time you want unity." I loved her fire! How she tells Lyr how it is because Lyr definitely needs to hear it. But when she’s forced to train with Lord Rhyan Hart, the man she’s secretly loved since she was a girl—a feared warrior in exile himself, forbidden to her in every way—she’s in danger of losing far more than her family, life, and country.

year-old mage Lady Lyriana Batavia is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria: a position of wealth and privilege, but not safety. Bamaria falls under the rule of the Lumerian Empire, survivors of a celestial war whose island sank in the Drowning. Now all Lumerians submit to the Emperor and his strict laws about magic. He decides what magic can be practiced and what powers remain forbidden. He decides who will die for possession of forbidden magic. Rebel forces, and an invading army, are destabilizing Bamaria, just as her family’s secrets threaten to reveal themselves. I struggled to like most of the characters because they are stereotypically YA to a fault. The MC is a special snowflake in the making; her current boyfriend is ~nice~ but not that nice and she keeps making excuses for him; the actual love interest is everything she needs but can’t have (or won’t have bc she’s dumb); the bad guy(s?) is/are pure scheming evil for no apparent reason and like, no one stops him/them; and so on. The one group of people that stand to become more interesting is her family and yet we barely spend any time with them.Faced with death in exile, and leaving her sisters behind, Lyr has no choice but to accept a deadly contract. She has seven months to train as a warrior and pass the Emperor’s brutal test of strength—all without magic.

Where this book was the first book in this series it has a lot of world building and there are a ton of words thrown at you to learn but it is delivered so amazingly that I was able to retain the information given without any issues. The story is literally that good. I am so excited for the sequel. I ABSOLUTELY need to know what happens next! First of all, I would like to say that Lord Rhyan Hart is mine. All mine. (Sorry Lyr, Koisty, Lila, and Lia) If you are a fan of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas for its strong, intelligent female main character and political intrigue or The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson for its intense worldbuilding and mythology, this series is for you. And then Ryan was introduced. *swoon* I love this forbidden love! I love that he supports her and gives her strength and helps her see herself as someone capable, even if she doesn't have magic.I love some good world building but there's a lot to take in. A dozen different kingdoms, ruling families, counsel members, imperators, magical races, animal species... and of course there's a made-up language with honorifics, titles, and full-blown sentences in the made-up language. I found myself glazing over whenever they would get into origin myths. I wouldn't say the lore is boring, but the book can seriously infodump at times. Lyr has plenty scope for growth and I'm curious enough to read more in the series if my library gets the other books...afraid I'm not invested enough to buy them for myself tho - soz 😶 The way I felt about this book at the beginning and the way I feel now that I finished it is not even remotely close to one another. I loved it with every piece of my heart and I need the next book already!