Seven years on the run from her abusive father, and with no hope of sanctuary among the dwindling pockets of human civilization, Lark is out of options. Her only leverage is a cursed power: she can thrust fear onto others, leaving all threats fleeing in terror. It’s a means of survival as she searches for a place to call home. If the campfire myths of her childhood are true, Lark’s sole chance for refuge could lie in Cagmar, the city of trolls—a brutal species and the sworn enemies of humanity.

Valuing combat prowess, the troll high council is intrigued. Lark could be much more useful than the low-caste humans who merely labor in Cagmar. Her gift makes her invaluable as a monster slayer to fight off the unspeakable creatures that torment the trolls’ hanging city, suspended from a bridge over an endless dark canyon.

Lark will do anything to make Cagmar her home, but her new role comes with a caveat: use her power against a troll, and she’ll be killed. Her loyalty is quickly put to the test when she draws the hatred of a powerful troll who loathes humankind. Still, she finds unexpected friendship in the city and, even more surprisingly, love. But if everything else doesn’t undo her, being caught in the arms of a troll surely will. Now in the fight of her life, Lark has a lot to learn—about her past, about trust and hope when all seems lost, and above all, about the extraordinary power of fear itself.

I absolutely loved this book. It had a little bit of everything – trolls, humans, monsters, magic, forbidden love, romance, war, friendships, and family. 

The first thing that stuck out to me was the amazing world-building. There is so much intricate detail, which makes it so unique and interesting. I appreciated the map of Cagmar at the beginning of the book, so I could refer back to it, which I did. The politics and class system of this world were complex to follow at first, but then I began to understand it, which immersed me even more into this wildly entertaining story. 

I’m a huge fan of this author, and I love her writing. She is such a skilled writer because her books are so descriptive and immersive. She writes in such beautiful, lush lyrical prose. She has become one of my favorite authors of all time. I want to read her books to zero, and she is an auto-buy author for me. 

I’ll be honest, though, it started out a little slow, but once I got into about the third or fourth chapter, it really took off for me, and I couldn’t put it down. This is definitely a bingeable book. There are some rather intense scenes with great action sequences. I viscerally felt certain situations that Lark went through. My emotions were shredded and all over the place. Then there are some really romantic and tender moments between Lark and Azmar. It also got pretty steamy while still being a closed-door romance, which I appreciated. I wish more authors wrote like this. I was a little leery about this relationship because usually, I don’t like interspecies romances, but this one worked. It worked so well that I didn’t want it to end. I fell in love with Azmar along with Lark. It is a slow-burn romance, which I enjoyed. And since it’s a forbidden love, it built up the sexual tension even more for a most rewarding resolution. There was also depth, heart, and emotion. It was really heartbreaking and heartwarming. 

I was so enthralled in this world and engaged with the characters. I also loved the side characters, trollis and humans. Funny thing is, I kept seeing ogres in my head and not trolls, like Shrek. But I think the trolls are supposed to look more like World of Warcraft. It’s descriptive in their depictions, from different skin colors to different body shapes to different size tusks, but I still kept seeing ogres. I think that’s just a me problem. 

I didn’t know I needed a troll romance in my life, but here we are! I shipped Lark and Azmar so hard, and now I want more. I want to know what happens to them after this story. I want a sequel so bad!! 

This was a beautiful story about belonging, self-worth, love, sacrifice, and perseverance. The pacing was perfect. We got enough action scenes to keep it interesting and entertaining, but we also got enough slow moments, so we weren’t exhausted from the action sequences. It was quite the epic story that I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone! Absolutely add this one to your TBR list and make sure to pick it up soon!!