I love the plot of this book, the characters, the romance, and the world building, but there is a lot to the book that just doesn't sit quite right with me. Would I recommend it to someone else, or will I plan to reread this book? Probably not. But it's overall still a pretty good book, so I can't rate it too low, plus I will plan to keep reading the series. That cliffhanger at the end is just too good and I need to learn what happens!

There are just several things about this story that give me the ick. For example, it bothers me how Poppy keeps referring to Casteel's dimples over and over. And it bothers me that their relationship can be kinda toxic and Casteel gets away with all of his lies. And it still bothers me that the story uses the 'man teaches woman about intimacy' trope, and then not only that, but then Poppy goes and

marries

the dude. The book frustrates me, but the plot just draws me as I seek to understand the mysteries of Poppy's powers and as I root for Poppy, the wolven, and the Atlantians (btw, what's with the names being so close to real-world names?) to have success against the Ascended. The world building with the gods, and the scenery of Atlantia really draw me in. It's definitely an entertaining book, but it's also no where near a masterpiece, so I feel like it's fitting of a 3-star rating.