“Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic always comes at a cost.”

Great for lovers of
~ dark gothic
~ intricate magic systems
~ fairy tales with a twist
~ enemies to lovers with touch her and die vibes
~ found family
~ fake dating (my kryptonite)

Man oh man did I love this book.

"I see you, Elspeth Spindle. I see a pretty maiden with long black hair and charcoal eyes. I see a yellow gaze narrowed by hate. I see darkness and shadow. And I see your fingers, long and pale, covered in blood.”

The world building and magic system were just *chefs kiss*. I love the premise of the cards in a world where magic brings danger and its use is a trade-off in ways that you may not fully understand until it’s all too late.

Elspeth was wonderfully realised and her relationship with her Nightmare was everything. The push and pull and those creepy rhymes were an absolute joy.

Really enjoyed all of the relationship dynamics and there wasn’t a character that I struggled to enjoy, which seems to be a rarity in my reading at the moment.

I waited so long to read this, but given the fact that I screamed “what the f*^k?!” loudly at 2am at the cliffhanger, I was rather glad that I’d waited until I could immediately move on to book 2!!

“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”