If you asked any citizen of Ethiolan who Zane Blackhorn was, they would tell you that he is the Dragon who saved the Queen of Bluescale from certain death. In short, he’s a hero. If you ask Paige, the Queen of Bluescale she would tell you that’s a lie. Zane did save Paige’s life. That much is true, but he didn’t do it because he’s a hero. He did it to rule over the Queen and punish her for the wrongs she’d caused him. Despite the war that ragged across Ethiolan, Zane finds he is in another war. Saving Paige’s life for the wrong reason was something he couldn’t hide from her. Now that she has seen his true heart, she is not about to submit herself to his tyranny. She is prepared to fight him with every word and breath. There was just one unforeseen consequence of entering the Desma with the rarest dragon in all Ethiolan… Love. Now that Zane has seen Paige’s true heart, he can’t help but love her. Can he win her forgiveness before she kills him, or will the war between them be the realms undoing?
Action packed with treachery, intrigue, magic, romance, assassins, loyalty, royalty and dragons. The suspense leading up to a cliff hanger. Augh! When will the next book be released.
I read this book back in July and now it's late August, so it's been a month, but just thinking about this series and the characters always has me itching for a re-read.
There's so much that happens in this book. Zane and Paige literally broke my heart over and over again. I could feel their emotions rolling off the page. They are well flushed out and Erin Duffin did a fantastic job.
The world building is believable and Paige's progress from utter mistrust and fear to understanding and acceptance is beautiful. Zane, though he does not realize it, has been manipulated for most if not all of his life and to see him free of that and him discovering new things yet still remaining as himself is gold.
Honestly I could go on and on with how amazing this book was and the series in general. There are a few spelling errors and minor grammar issues but they don't typically bother me and it wasn't enough to take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.