Three stars I think??

I picked this up in 2023 because it sounded good and the hardcover was very pretty, especially the naked cover. I still think it’s a pretty book, but the content was ehhhh

First thing, I started off with my physical copy and because of the slow start putting me to sleep I looked for the audiobook and it was there without a waiting period so I switched (thank you Libby!). I really liked the narrator, but I still noticed that I was zoning out because the book kept repeating things. When we got to a new scene it was very exciting but it never felt like it lasted long enough. The world building was subpar at best and the characters felt kinda two dimensional. 

Koral was a flat character whose traits were panic, be stubborn, panic some more. Emrick was at least somewhat entertaining but her relationship with her brother felt superficial, same with Crane. The love interest? Don’t even get me started, there was no fucking chemistry and it felt so forced it was awkward. We didn’t really get anything fully fleshed out except for her love for Liria, the youngest sister.

The world building seemed to struggle, which is a shame because I wanted to know more. I feel like if the author took out some of the repeated bits and inserted more about the world it would’ve been better.

Also I don’t understand how it’s South Asian inspired. The general air I got was middle eastern mixed with Greek mythology. Especially with the mention of gorgons and capricorns. The maristags too felt more Scottish inspired with the kelpies.

It was just a very weird feeling I felt.

Red flag number one for the plot was how the leader accepted her into the race no problem so that felt about right when that was revealed.

Also the ending, what the hell was that? It felt like it ended in the middle of a scene and there seems to be no mention of a second book. 

Overall idk how to feel about this one.