At the beginning of the book I was much more interested in Laia's story than Elias's. It annoyed me that the perspective kept switching. It took me awhile to get into it. But once their stories started to intertwine, I got really into it. 
 As the Auger's say, they are both embers in the ashes. They seem destined to come together. But for what purpose? The obvious answer would be to overthrow the empire and start a new order. However, the Auger's are rather mysterious creatures and it's hard to say what their actual end game really is. 
 I feel like all the characters were fully fleshed out which always leads to a much more fulfilling and captivating story. However, the love triangle (because there's always a damn love triangle!) seemed a bit forced. 
 I really loved the imagery Sabaa Tahir used. (view spoiler)[ For example, Elias describes Laia as a wild fire in a tribal campsite and Helene as an alchemist's blue flame. (hide spoiler)] Really excited to see what happens next. Great start to a new series!