The single-minded Zora Ravenal joined the Crimson Army to destroy her people’s greatest enemy. The Empire doesn’t just threaten the Commonwealth; its biggest figureheads are directly responsible for Zora’s most devastating loss. To take revenge, she argues her way into becoming a Knight Mage, with the power to protect her loved ones and stand up to the Commonwealth’s most dangerous foes. Unfortunately, the trial she willingly subjects herself to doesn’t go as planned, and in the aftermath, Zora is unexpectedly saddled with custody of her personal nemesis, the Royal Mage. Tarantula, an assassin with a notorious temper, is newly collared to prevent him from using his magic. He blames his predicament on Zora even as he is the only one skilled enough to help her hone her new power. These enemies will need to spend every waking minute in each other’s company, then sleep in the same room. The terrible forced proximity forges a twisted new connection, closer to mutual obsession than blazing malice. The first installment of Mas’ duology blends fantasy and contemporary storytelling, including modern and archaic language, a talking animal sidekick, and a strange Mist that adversely affects technology. Mas overstuffs the novel with worldbuilding and the pace dithers in the first half. At first, Zora and Tarantula’s enemies-to-lovers arc feels juvenile but eventually, more compelling emotional layers erupt. Mas holds back her most significant narrative twists until the very end. Those reveals, when they finally occur, lay the groundwork for a more promising sequel, with both of the book’s morally complicated leads on a level playing field as the stakes threaten to become world-ending.