Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

I’ve been excited to read this book since it was announced over a year ago. Part of that excitement stemmed from meeting the author, Katie, before she was published. She’s so lively and hilarious, I expected her book to reflect that. The other part was because it just sounded soooo good!

Summary:

Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.

Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, and she can’t always decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.

As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the charming-yet-volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

            I was sucked in from the first pages of this book. When I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did, and I almost couldn’t handle all the feels the first few chapters took from me. So amazing. Fantastic writing and a beautiful character full of both promise and tragedy.

            As a Young Adult Fantasy novel, I’m used to more “magic.” This actually reads something more like the CW TV series, Reign, but is still uniquely its own. I really loved the Russian-esque feel that’s not done all the time, and the struggles at court kept my interest.

            Burning Glass reads a little slower and longer than a typical young adult novel, but I was never bored. There was always something intriguing going on, and the main character’s inability to handle her own abilities as an empath kept putting her into dangerous situations that left me not caring so much about getting enough sleep that night. I needed to know more.

           The romance was great, and without spoiling anything, I was absolutely satisfied with the ending. And while it does not leave on a cliff hanger (so grateful for that), I’m excited to read the next installment. Definitely better than chocolate.