The world is broken. The “Phenomenon” has fractured Verity into the North and the South, led by two leaders who have drastically different ideologies of how to rule. In the chaos, acts of violence and sin are physically manifested in monsters — Corsai, who feed off of fear, Malchai, who feed on blood, and the rare Sunai, who survive on the souls of sinners. August is one of the three Sunai that exist in Verity under the protection of Henry Flynn, the leader of South Verity, and is constantly torn between the desperation of wanting to be a human and the overwhelming hunger that reminds him that he is anything but. Kate Harker, the heir to North Verity, wants nothing more than to be like her father, cold and ruthless. August and Kate couldn’t be more different, but when an assassination attempt threatens to shatter the fragile peace that has been established between North and South, monster and human, they find themselves forming an alliance in an attempt to stop everything they’ve ever known from falling apart.
Personally, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this book — it was such a unique concept, and it captivated me from beginning to end. The writing was so mesmerizingly dark and beautiful, yet thrilling and complex and multi-dimensional at the same time. Everything was written in such vivid details, and certain scenes were described so perfectly that I could almost see them playing out in front of me. I also fell in love with the characters. August and Kate weren’t perfect in the sense of morality, but they were so, so relatable and I absolutely loved their character dynamic. Overall, I cannot think of any way to describe this book besides brilliant and an absolute work of genius, and I highly recommend it.