** spoiler alert ** 
 I loved every single second! There were many pros and a few cons about this novel. 
 Pros: It is very intense and has a lot of suspense and action at the same time. It has a good plot line. It sort of kinda easy to follow. And there are so many pros, but I don't want to bog you down with them. 
 Cons: Mare is in the prison for the first 200 pages, so it really talks about her struggle. It, also, has to have another book. So that means another long, painful wait for the next one. 
 Character Analysis 
 Cal: He begins the book acting very needy and sad because of his longing for Mare. Cal acted on impulse for everything that he did just to win Mare back. For example, he sent Nanny undercover as a long lost Iral son, so she could, maybe, escape with Mare. He makes a deal with his grandmother, Annabel Lerolan, to help free Mare and helps arrange the attack after the wedding. After the Scarlet Guard wins Mare back, Cal feels the need to go and protect Mare. He is, after all, hopelessly in love with her. He wants to do what's best for the country, not what's best for their relationship or for the Scarlet Guard. 
 Cameron: She finds Mare whiny and selfish and Cal arrogant and aggravating. She becomes friends with Farley and confides in her with her problems. Cam won't stop bothering the Colonel till her brother is safe with her. She hates using her silence against anyone because it makes her feel sick. Cam wants to abandon the Scarlet Guard and live safely with her brother, Morrey, and she sometimes acts on impulse. 
 Evangeline: Eve hates Mare and hates Maven even more. She is betrothed to Maven but is in love with her friend Haven. Eve wants to protect her brother from Mare because of what he did to Shade. She frees Mare after the wedding to escape to the Rift with her family. Eve is the princess of the Rift. 
 Farley: She is pregnant with Shade's baby (Clara). Farley becomes good friends with Cameron while Mare was in prison. Later in the novel, she becomes a general of the Scarlet Guard which is higher than her father. Farley helps organize both attacks on Corvium. 
 Kilorn: He helps train the newbloods. He helps Mare settle back in to the camp and into the Scarlet Guard. He stays back with her family during the "war". 
 Mare: She gives herself up to help the Scarlet Guard to get away from the prison and to protect her loved ones. She becomes a prisoner of Maven's and becomes his "pet". Mare is used as propaganda against the Scarlet Guard. She has manacles around her wrists with Silent Stone, so she can't kill Maven. Mare escapes by Evangeline setting her free with a promise of never killing her brother ever. She has a major attitude change-kinder and unselfish/thinks about other people before herself. She is hopelessly in love with Cal. She wants to kill Maven. Mare expands her lightning with the other electricons. The Scarlet Guard battles the Lakelanders/Maven's army and they win. Mare wants Cal to choose her and not the crown. 
 Maven: He is sick and twisted all because of his mother. He is obessed with Mare. Maven was almost assassinated by rebelling houses. He marries Iris, the daughter of the Lakelander king. 
 Favorite Character(s): Mare, Farley, Cameron 
 Hated Character: Maven 
 Overall, I loved every single second.