(Blurb and cover taken from Goodreads)
Official blurb:
Lena has a secret: the touch of her skin can kill. Cursed by a witch before she was born, Lena has always lived in fear and isolation. But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again…
Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s sheltered world. Miranda comes from the Gather, a city in the forest brimming with magic. She is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler—and she offers Lena a bargain. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse.
Mesmerized by Miranda and her promise of a new life, Lena jumps at the chance. But the deeper into the Silence she goes, the more she suspects she’s been lied to—about her family’s history, her curse, and her future. As the shadows close in, Lena must choose who to trust and decide whether it’s more important to have freedom…or power.
My rating: five stars out of five
This book had it all! Complicated love, LGBTQ characters, dangerous magic, interesting creatures, plot twists galore, and a forest with a personality.
Lena is cursed to the point where anyone who touches her will die. Her parents lead her to believe that she will just have to live in somewhat exile for the rest of her life. But when she and her father move to a place that is close to the Silence, basically a living forest, and a strange girl stumbles out of it, Lena learns that there is so much more to her curse and the world around her than her parents led her to believe.
I loved watching Lena come into her own and discover things about herself, while navigating deals with others and magical beings she knows nothing of. Her journey is certainly interesting, entertaining, and heartfelt.
Having a love interest in both Alaric and Miranda makes the story so rich as well. She has to decide whether or not to trust them, and they both challenge her in ways and help her in others.
And there are so many plot twists that you will never be able to guess what will happen next—including the ending, which is epic! Pick this book up if you’re looking to be sucked into a magical and dangerous world full of unexpected creatures and bargains.
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