Synopsis: History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?
Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.
As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.
My mind is blown by this book. My mind is now scattered across my room in bits and pieces waiting for another book to piece them back together and blow them up again.
The one thing I love in this book the most, which is a hard decision to make as there are so many things to love, is the protagonist herself, Sophia Bellamy. If you’ve seen Star Wars, you can probably tell that the Elsa’s are going to be outnumbered by Rey’s this Halloween. That’s because Rey is such a strong, bold character! She’s got a mind, not too swayed by men, and she’s got control over who she is and has a voice that makes her seem a lot stronger than the other male characters present in the movie. Sophia Bellamy is all that and more.
My last read was the Throne of Glass. I knew from BookTube that getting into it, I’m supposed to expect a girl assassin. I had such a high expectations for this girl protagonist to be so…solid and strong and independent that I was kind of thrown off by her evident appeal to her male friends. Though I love myself some romance, I was expecting some bad- a$$ery with a girl assassin.
Sophia Bellamy is one of the best female protagonist’s that I’ve read… ever. She’s smart, sarcastic, quick with her mouth, and great with raising chaos and destruction. The fact that the social expectations of women are so conservative and oppressive make her actions and beliefs even more appealing. Sophia Bellamy is a young woman who will not be held back by anything.
I love the premise of this novel and at times, it’s eye-opening. The novel takes place in the future but the society that they live is one that is immersed in the ways of the past. For example, it’s as if the world is set around the year 4000 but they’re living in a world around the time the 1700’s. Amazing, I know. Through out the book, the characters come across simple basic “artifacts” of things “before” like a plastic bottle or a NASA spaceship and it’s just amazing how Sharon Cameron writes out the characters’ shock and wonder. Cameron makes you stop and think, what would a world be like without NASA? A clock that reads numbers?
Second in line to my heart after Sophia Bellamy, is Rene Hasard, the daughter-steeling red haired man. His character is a mystery that Sharon Cameron has us, the poor readers, dying in our seats waiting to see the outcome of Sophia’s discoveries and observances of this man. Who is the beautiful red haired man? In the beginning, I hated his character, the beginning as in the first fivish pages he’s introduced in. I thought he was an irritating spoiled brat but oh my dear friends, you’re in for a ride! Not only does Rene bring the mystery to the novel but the humor as well. You can never be too amused at Rene’s short yet hilarious comments.
The family aspect of this novel is heart-warming and the risks the characters undertake to preserve the safety of their family is what drives the book. This book is filled with amazing, well written characters that will surely leave a mark in your heart one way or another.
Let’s talk about Sharon Cameron’s amazing writing skills. This book is a novel so elegant with the amount of historical beauty painted into it and the words on each page are laid out so beautifully. Sharon Cameron writes the novel as if a movie is playing in our eyes by playing with the scenes. She takes one scene of the novel and writes that very moment in different characters’ perspectives, whether or they are in a whole different city or they are sitting right next to them.
The novel started off a little slow but it’s worth the wait trust me, things started to kick up after the first 100 pages. This book is deceivingly long, around 450 pages, and the most important to remember going into this book is to read everything, don’t let anything slip by because you’ll miss too much.
I love this book so much that I think I’m going to do a spoiler book talk soon so read the book soon so we can all talk about it!
I will give this book a 5/5 stars.
