4.5 stars/5 
 I picked up Rift before I knew it was a prequel to the Nightshade series (which I haven't read). It was actually a lot more than I expected it to be and I really think I'm starting to love high fantasy, as much as THAT surprises me too! 
 Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: I think I'm really starting to get into high fantasy combined with historical fiction! My first impressions of Rift were a little reserved, but once I got into the story, I found myself reeling along the same path as when I read some of my other favorites that surprised me like Graceling and Grave Mercy! One minor drawback was that I was reading the ARC version of the book and... I guess that's why it's an uncorrected copy because there were at least three chapters that ended in the middle of a sentence and then a new one started. Whoops, definitely missing some pages. I don't think I missed anything too important though! 
 Loved the steamy relationship that started heating up between Ember & Barrow! It was quite the slow burn that I love... But then again, I can't help but feel like I've read this relationship quite a few times. I guess it's really hard to make new relationships when your characters aren't really allowed to be together. It's a classic love story plot and I'm just too ready to make comparisons! Still loved it quite a bit though. It added a great aspect to the story. 
 I actually felt a bit torn that RIFT was split between Ember's story and Eira/Cian. While the details of hearing Eira's story were extremely important, I just didn't want to tear away from the main focus on Ember. Just my personal preference! 
 I was also a bit surprised that we had a bit of a cliffhanger here! I didn't really look into the book much before diving in (I rarely do anymore because I hate spoiling anything for myself!) so I didn't know there were even more prequels than just this one. I definitely look forward to getting my hands on the next book because Rift was truly great! 
 Also, I still don't think I'll pick up the Nightshade series, in all truthfulness! If you thought it was great and want to sway me otherwise, please do let me know what I'm missing out on! I'm not really big on werewolf/shape shifter stories either (didn't care for Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER and I learned my lesson on trying to make myself get interested in faeries when I had doubts already) so if you think it's really worth the read, please let me know!