In a world where a dying desert kingdom is cursed by an ancient earth goddess, Lia, the princess of Locris, faces a deadly challenge that could change her nation’s fate. Every year, the thriving nation of Ilion demands two Locrian maidens as a sacrifice, forcing them into a brutal race to the goddess’s temple—where no one has ever survived. This year, Lia is one of the chosen, and with her untrained sister Quynh also in danger, the stakes are higher than ever. Armed with her battle education, Lia must navigate Ilion’s treacherous streets, which have become a labyrinth of deadly choices. As if the odds weren’t stacked enough, she finds herself torn between her loathing and undeniable attraction to Jason, a skilled Ilionian sailor. As the race to the goddess’s temple begins, Lia must not only fight to survive, but also uncover a way to lift the curse that binds her kingdom, change the fate of every maiden before her, and possibly rewrite the future of her entire world.

At first, I found myself bored, but once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down.

But then I got bored again…

But then I was hooked. And the cycle just continued.

After the race ends (which is also super super short), Lia is basically left trapped in the temple, spending the majority of her time there in a rather aimless pursuit to break the curse on her kingdom. While there, she takes an oath alongside other acolytes, but the friendships that form feel more obligatory than genuine. She constantly tells herself that she can’t be friends with them because she needs to save her kingdom. The side characters are flat and forgettable, with one being overly chatty and the other completely silent, which are quite surface-level traits which add very little to the story or Lia’s journey. I honestly expected more from the race portion of the plot, which was dissapointing, especially with how Lia described how hard and far the temple is in the city. Then she just figures it out? I like HOW she figured it out but it was really brushed over.

Now, let’s talk about Jason. This is the second book I’ve read recently where a character’s name threw me off, and honestly, Jason just didn’t fit the tone of this story. I found the name oddly out of place. Their meeting is… interesting, especially considering that Lia is consumed by thoughts of kissing him almost immediately. This was made out to be a significant desire early in the book, with Lia constantly mentioning her wish to experience it before leaving. But the tension between them felt flat, and her frequent dreams about him didn’t really build much. We don’t see any real development between them until later, and even then, I was left wondering if it really qualified as development at all. I mean, I found it pretty predictable in terms of where this story was leading, but still, Jason just didn’t quite fit.

I also felt disappointed by Lia as a character. She came across as too willing to let others take the fall for her, embracing the “one for many” mindset a little too easily. Minor Spoiler When someone close to her sacrifices themselves, Lia barely processes the grief. It felt like a missed opportunity to dive deeper into her emotional growth.

That said, despite the predictability and some of the underwhelming aspects, I did end up enjoying it overall. It’s just a bit of a mixed bag. I will be reading the next book. I need to know what happens next.

Overall, I would recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the ARC.