85 points/100 (4.5 stars/5).

Kyra has been fiercely protected by her brother all her life, but it has been a stifling type of protection. She decides to break free and go and help some other kareshta to control their powers in Thailand. Leo is sent to Bangkok to help the House there connect with the Grigori diplomatically. These two have been dancing around each other for years now, is it their time?

Another Irin Chronicles book, another couple. This time with the character I most expected, and wanted, to see: Kyra! It was everything I could hope for.

I love Kyra as a character. Until now, we have been focusing on the “good” side, where they have the power of righteousness and generations upon generations of knowledge on their side helping them. Kyra has had none of that. She has been sheltered and protected from the bad side of the Grigori, but she is still kareshta, and the Irina don’t trust her to give Kyra their magic.

Leo is interesting. We’ve seen him before, in the background. He didn’t really become a full character to me until now. I like him, I like how he is the first of the Irin that we have seen that grew up without a female interest to get a Reshon. He is so gentle and caring for someone who just grew up without either.

The Irina not trusting Kyra enough to give them magic adds an interesting dynamic to Leo and Kyra’s relationship. It is a very lopsided relationship, much in the way it was with Ava. At least with Ava they were trying to help, and as fast as they could. With Kyra, they drag their heels the entire way.

Kyra and Leo are both very young, compared to the rest of the leads so far. They grew up in less than ideal conditions, for sure. Yet, they’re still young when they found each other. Kyra is Leo’s first love, and Leo is Kyra’s first love. It is a very cautious romance, yet it burns bright hot. It isn’t the deep romance of Damien’s with Sari because Damien was older and knew himself more than Leo. The romance is purely Krya and Leo’s.

Before now, I was pretty annoyed at the Irin council already. Now, I’m just kind of annoyed at their entire race. This whole book was basically the Irin and Irina being wary and untrusting of the Grigori and kareshta. Which, I can understand. They just take it so far, and it consumes so much of the story. Even after they have been helping each other the entire book, they still are wary of helping them. Even after they had already helped each other, they still take it that one little asshole step further. I get it. It is just a bit much.

Leo’s and Kyra’s biggest strength as a couple is how they deal with that situation though. They’re uniquely suited to dealing with the problem and bridging the two groups, even more so than Ava and Malachi. We’ll be hearing more about this couple over the series, because this problem isn’t going away any time soon. They’re going to have to be at the forefront of this problem because of who they are and what they are to each other. ( )