This is probably the most excessively violent, bloody YA book I've ever read. I've read plenty of books with war settings and battles and death, but this book was just so graphic with people being tortured, maimed, stabbed, beheaded, (insert some other gruesome way to die) every few pages. It felt gratuitous and overdone after awhile. 
 Regarding the premise, there are just too many elements, so many that it feels like I'm reading three different stories. The book needs to decide what kind of story it is. Is this a story about jinn and efrits and magic, or is it a story about a brutal Roman-esque society that needs to be overthrown. When these two worlds start to mix, it gets convoluted and does not mesh well together. And for a premise this bloated, the plot goes nowhere. It tries to be twisty, but it's too obvious if you read a lot of YA. I love a good twist, but these were screaming at me chapters before they were revealed. 
 Lastly, those characters. They make such stupid, foolish choices at every turn. Choices that make no sense. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but I don't understand half the choices these characters make, especially Helene and Laia. Out of all the many characters in this book, I like Elias, and that's about it. I'm cheering for Helene, but I don't understand why she doesn't just do certain things to end this. 
 I thought this was the end of the series, but by about 85%, it became apparent that there would be more. Will I read them? Yes, because I want Helene to start being a good person and following her own heart. I just wish I didn't have to read TWO more novels to see this to the end.