Caitlyn Battelle 

Kava is a land lost to the undead gods and to magic. In a kingdom where magic has disappeared , any spark of the lost gift is a curse.

Elysia is a child of the crown, she was born and raised as nobility, and is expected to wed the prince. However it seems the fates, although they have abandoned Kava, seem to be against Elysia. She was born cursed. At a young age she found out she could read the secrets of those around her, even if she didn’t want to. Even as a small child she knew that if she was found to be cursed, she would be sentenced to her death.

Alas, she is hiding in plain sight, playing her part in the royal court. All the wile, also training to take care of her self in any situation that may arise. She has moved out of the castle in to her own apartment to bide herself a bit of freedom. However, this reprieve is short lived, once her magic starts to change and grow.

While she is hunting to uncover the truth behind how the kingdom lost its magic and why the undead gods have forsaken them. She will uncover the truth about herself, the ones she holds dearest, and the man that she loves.

The first third of the book is very much world building and character introduction, its decently paced where you don’t feel like it is dragging, and offers up all the information you really do need without offering a ton of filler information that is going to get lost. The magic system itself isn’t fully flushed out yet, however that is by design ( or so i think ) due to Kava being lost to magic.

The plot starts picking up and we start to really get moving in the second third of the book. This is where we get more info on our FMC and MMC as well as our supporting cast. You get a better sense of what is going on in Kava and the motivations of trying to discover what happened to the magic.

The ending to this was perfect. I say this because I already know there is a book two, and the way the last scene plays out is a great way to barrel roll right in to the action in book two ( I have yet to start it , but its heavily implied on what’s going to happen ).

This is an interesting Start to a Hades and Persephone retelling. I am huge in to mythology and tend to read quite a bit of retellings, and this is a fresh take that hasn’t been played out this way before.

I already have book two and I cant wait to see what happens next!