** spoiler alert ** 
 This book was okay. It had enough of a plot that I kept reading without really realizing that I was eating up pages by the tenfold, which is really the only reason it gets stars. Stop reading now if you don't want major plot spoilers!! 
 Bryn is an annoying irritating character that you really only find in bad YA novels. The author wants you to think that this character is self sufficient and capable, but this is a lie. Sure, Bryn saves her father from an assassination attempt by one the king's guard, an elite and highly trained killer. 
 And sure, Bryn worked harder than anyone else because she doesn't have the innate abilities of her pure blood peers. She has to train harder and study harder, etc. 
 But she's so ANNOYING. The author has left open this giant plot point with Konstantin because they're going to fall in luuuuurve in book two or three, and it's not even subtle. This dude is out attempting to kill people and kidnapping people and letting his lackey kill people, but hey, it's cool with Bryn because he feels bad about it. 
 All throughout Hocking is setting up this romance between Bryn and her boss, Ridley. This attraction is, of course, unconsummated because we can't have Bryn off cavorting with other boys, we're saving her for the bad guy! Never mind that these two have worked together for years and seem to be friends, this need to french each other just comes barreling after them out of nowhere. Bryn doesn't get to just discover her sudden attraction for her superior, because what fun would that be, a teenage girl who knows her mind and acts on her wants and needs. Nope, she discovers that Ridley is the hottest thing in Kanin because she's jealous. Ick ack yuck. And then, instead of saying, hey Ridley, I think you're super hot but I don't really want a relationship right now, she gets all petty and mean to his new girlfriend and prances around bemoaning the fact that she doesn't want a relationship anyhow. (But really, why not me?) 
 Then, badass, better than anyone tracker Bryn goes off to rescue a little girl before Konstantin can get to her. So she does the most logical thing ever... an internet search! The reasoning behind this is that *maybe* Emma's (her target) friends will know where she is, even though is glaringly clear from the get go that she's actually been kidnapped by Konstantin because this is the whole reason they are there. Not to mention that Ridley joins her on this mission so that they can have safety in numbers, and then instantly decide to separate as soon as they get there. I wanted to bang me head against a wall, much like when I'm watching a bad horror movie and I start screaming at the dumb blonde on my screen to call the cops, like she can hear me. Of course, Ridley doesn't kill Bryn, because he has a soft spot for her, even though on their first meeting he doesn't even remember her. I'm not sure if my eyes could have rolled back further in my head. 
 The whole novel ends incredibly abruptly with nothing really solved, and Bryn doing that idiotic YA heroine thing where she withholds vital information that could save lives and help that whole plot thing along. I doubt I'll read the second one, but no promises. If I do, I sincerely hope that Hocking puts aside all the in YA tropes and just gives us a nice clean novel.