Actual Rating 4.5 stars 
 Review: 
 Protagonist: Joclyn isn't the most social person on the planet, actually she does everything she can to blend in to the background and become invisible at school, hiding behind baggy clothing at hoodies. The only time she feels like she can be herself is around her best friend Ryland, and even he doesn't know her darkest secret, the deformity that she was cursed with when she turned five. The scar (or brand?) just below and behind her ear is the reason her life turned to hell, and the reason for her pain. I really loved the character of Joclyn, she may start out a bit flawed, always hiding in the shadows, but over the course of the book she really starts to come out of her shell, or in this case hoodie? 
 Romance: The romance in this book was full of amazing tension. For the first half of the book or so there's this game of chicken being played between Joclyn and her best friend Ryland, where they pretty much dance around the fact that they love each other. It may sound a bit cringe worthy, but it's actually really sweet. There isn't much time for them to be together before the plot picks up and the focus shifts away from the romance a bit. There is also a bit of a love triangle, or at least the possibility of one, which given how new the romance between Joclyn and Ryland is, and how strong their connection is, adding in a love triangle element felt a bit off. 
 World-Building: The world-building of this book is fantastic. While it can be a bit info-dumpy when things really get going in the plot, it does die down a bit and things start to make more sense. So, I've never heard of anything like this world-building before, and I don't know, maybe the author is basing it off of some kind of lore that already exists, but if not, if she does a phenomenal ob of weaving together this world from basically nothing to this extravagant and phenomenal place. 
 Predictability: This book kept me guessing until the very end. It's full so so much unpredictability. I loved the twists and turns Ethington places throughout the story. There's actually one twist in particular that I remember thinking I should have figured it out, it's not the most obvious thing, but the foreshadowing is, arguably, heavy handed. Still, I loved every second, this isn't your typical YA formula book. 
 Ending: The ending was absolutely heart breaking. The final climax is fantastic, full of action and magic, but after the dust settles, after everything that happened, it's not happily ever after, and well it kind of shouldn't be, it's only the first book after all. However, it's still a sucker punch to read the crazy cliffhanger at the end of this book, it's something that is sure to hit you right in the feels. 
 Rating: 
 Wow, this book is fantastic. The only thing keeping it from five stars was the info-dump of world-building right as things started to pick up in the plot, and the awkward kinda love triangle. Other than that this is a fast paced book, full of action, adventure, love, and magic, that I couldn't put down.