Why hadn't I picked up these books sooner??  I SO enjoyed this book.  Having reading Sara Ella's Coral, I knew I had to get into her debut trilogy---and WOW.  I loved this even more than I thought I would!  Eliyana's character was so real---her struggles as a teen girl, the overwhelming love she has for her mother, and the sacrifices she's willing to make in the midst of a wild journey in worlds she had no idea ever existed.  It was a captivating & thrilling ride!

I was blown away by the story & world building.  The Reflections & the Callings (unique abilities) were amazing!! And I loved how music was woven in, however subtly, into these pages.  This is MY kind of portal fantasy with the modern mashed into medieval living, bows & arrows, swords, & castles---and now I NEED the sequel!!

Eliyana grew up in our New York as we know it, but in the Second Reflection---which is basically a teeny reflection of our world but totally different---the people live in a more Medieval-y realm.  But even then, there's places with electricity, guns, & some other modern things.  It was such a neat twist!  Usually, I find books like this where the MC is transported to a different world, that world is literally the opposite of their own in regards to technological advancements and old-fashioned living---basically, it's present day and BAM! Medieval era.  But this story meshes the best of both worlds into one, and it was such a refreshing take!

In the Second, the people are governed by the vessel of the Verity, which I took to be the entity of God.  The Void, on the other hand is the form of all evil & darkness.  Whoever possesses the Verity, as the vessel, reigns as king or queen of the Second---and it is always someone pure of heart & soul.

The rebels in this story give their all for the Verity and the promise that one day all things will be made right.  Thresholds are portals that lead to various places in the seven Reflections.

The Void also has a vessel of sorts.  As long as the Verity's vessel lives, the Void is imprisoned & can do no harm.  But in this case, our bad guy used the Void to exploit his power.  He created minions to do his bidding, using a syringe to withdraw not blood, but a smoky substance from his veins and injecting it into his soldiers.  They were then overcome & became known as the mindless beings called Soulless, with blackened veins visible on their skin & clouded eyes.

Callings are special abilities gifted to the people of the Reflections as children.  Shapeshifters, healers, guardians, etc.

A girl evades a stalker, who attempts to kidnap her.  She knees him in the groin area and manages to get away.  At the gate of a Threshold a battle ensues with offscreen fights that our characters doesn't quite see everything that happens.  Arrows fly, one catches her arm, grazing it & drawing blood.

A girl is shot.  A man uses his Calling, causing extreme pain to his victims & internal bleeding.  A boy's eyes causes temporary paralysis.  Lots of cuts, bruises, knife-stabbing, arrows, etc.  A sea-monster nearly takes out a boat.

None, other than several uses of "crud," "oh my gosh," "crowe," and the like.

Two girls enter a party with wasted teens & college kids drinking beer & other forms of alcohol.  We observe some people smoking cigarettes or snuffing them out (one was quite obviously illegal weed).

El has had a crush on Joshua for at least three years.  He does not reciprocate her feelings & tells her so quite adamantly, though you kinda have the feel he's lying. . . They have an almost kiss.  After Joshua's rejection, El is thrown under the guardianship of Ky and though she hates him for REASONS, she comes to care for him & maybe even love him. . . (GAHHHHH.  Lots of spoilers here that I won't reveal! I'm totally #teamKy though)

El & Ky share at least one kiss at one point.

I LOOOOOOVED this book.  SO MUCH.  It was a clean, contemporary/fantasy, wild, romancy kind of story & I loved the world building!  I would heartily recommend if you, dear reader, even THINK you'd like to read it.  There's many, many great things out there in regards to these books, and there's a reason!!