In this heart-wrenching, blood curdling third book in the Woven Kingdom trilogy, a gripping fantasy written by Tahereh Mafi, Alizeh is torn between loving her sworn enemy and killing him, her life and the lives of her people teetering in the hands of the devil. Despite her friends' avid warnings, Alizeh can’t help but draw closer to him, even in the face of death…. The inexplicable shift in Alizeh’s behavior toward Cyrus, now more obviously passionate, has me confused as a reader and, at the very same time, begging for more. Cyrus’s character has revealed depth, mystery and intrigue, unparalleled by any other character in their world, a mystery so deep, a misery so painful, I’m grateful for the adventure it brings. Kamran, on the other hand, has revealed himself to be rather shallow, unexposed, and unworthy of himself compared to the example of both Cyrus and Alizeh, when it is only evident that his vanity has only caused him pain. The narrative is absolutely exquisite. So lush, darkly imaginative, and pulsing with want. It can, at times, fall a bit flat, description overpowering action and dialogue and therefore bringing a foreboding sense of wait to the scene. Other blows come surprisingly quick, presented in puzzles, or rather riddles, as the narratives expertly switch. I have found great joy in watching as the characters, confused and appalled, discover in quite different manners that they have been throttled, deceived, and, more or less, straight up foolish when it comes to their conflicted emotions, if only to protect themselves from the future endurance of suffering. The tone of the author, be the words vulgar or empathetic, never loses the distinction of the Mafi’s unique voice. The elegance, the craft in which her characters walk, all dissected in minutes and stripped to the bone. The thick layers this world of magic has to offer, the delicious scents and smells and tastes and people, the needs of many shared by a selection of so few so clearly exemplified. The plot is so clearly alive in this novel, so plainly vivid, yet also shockingly discrete, as if it is something to be searched for among a dire wave of problems. I would most definitely recommend this book to those ranging between twelve and fifteen years old, and anyone who is in search of a gripping romance, as well as an insight into the lavish, yet darkly complex lives of royals.