To be honest, I read this, and skimmed the first two chapters or so of A Breath of Fire, before deciding that I cannot keep reading this series.

Cat is captured by Beta Sinta (AKA Griffin), the second in line to a non-magical family that just captured the Sintan realm. He knows that Cat is the Kingmaker, and therefore uses that as justification to take her from the circus she's found as her family to his realm. He assures her that Cat is part of Team Beta, that she'll find his family as amazing as he does, and that she's obviously falling for him, a big, bad-ass tough guy that could break her (but doesn't, because he's actually gentle to people he cares for).

I don't know how to take this. Is it a fantasy book that doesn't understand its genre's conventions, or a romance that doesn't know what agency and consent mean? Cat has very little agency. Cat does very little, aside from antagonize Griffin. She's removed from the friends she's adopted as a family, quite forcefully, and then told over and over that she's obviously falling for him. Sure, we get to see her mind's eye, and from that perspective we see a very conflicted person. But is it believable? Does it contribute to the character's growth? Have the character's grown? Or just accepted a role or position because escape seems impossible?

I'm disappointed. I felt that Cat isn't allowed space to grow. That the relationship between Cat and Griffin is forced. Not just because Griffin pushes his agenda (I need you for your powers), but also for plot development (my characters must end together!).

Overall, it the execution is poorly done. I can't believe that magic exists, so much as divine intervention at convenient moments that appear magical. I can't believe that Cat has grown, because she hasn't been provided space to grow. I can't believe the relationship genuine, because it exists solely to ensure that Griffin can secure a spot in the greater political environment of the world. In the end, this fails as either a fantasy or a romance novel.