Alternating chapters tell the intertwined stories of Laia and Elias, who find their paths converging through Keris Veturius, Commandant of the Martial Empire's elite military academy. The Commandant loathes Elias, her accidental son whom she tried to abandon as a newborn, only to see him rescued by others and become the top student of her current graduating class. Elias wants nothing more than to escape his future as an enforcer of tyranny, but to cross the Commandant and the Empire is sure death. Laia's parents found that fate by leading the resistance movement of her conquered Scholar people, and she wants nothing more than a quiet, anonymous life. But her brother was just arrested and she's willing to do anything to keep her last family connection alive, even become a slave to the Commandant as a spy for the resistance in the hopes of earning their help freeing him. Both are guaranteed brutality and suffering, with only the slightest sparks of hope they may get what they want.
Another reviewer used the word "riveting," which strikes me as the perfect description for my experience with this marvelous book. I listened to the audio production in my car, and found myself frustrated every time I reached a destination because I didn't want to have to stop listening. I was riveted, desperate to keep going and reach the end. Now I've reached the end and I find myself frustrated that the book is over, because I want it to keep going. It seems I just want this story to go on and on, all the time.
While there are some familiar elements at play in the book and the prose doesn't always leap off the page, the characters and world are complex enough to keep things fresh and surprising. The tension, plotting, and pacing are gripping without ever feeling rushed or frenzied, with plenty of time spent properly developing events and those involved. With its 450 pages, the book has offered plenty of information about this tale, its setting, and its main characters, so I feel I know them well, yet I also feel we've barely scratched the surface and there's so much more yet to know. I want more.
4.5 stars.