I've read many reviews where readers felt as though the plot was slow and uninteresting, but when I read it I simply couldn't put the book down. While Ophelia, unfortunately, experiences many forms of abuse and undergoes many trials that test the strength of her will, she is learning, slowly, how to survive and adapt in this new world that is fueled by politics and the never-ending hunger for power and a place at court. I thought it was a wonderful first book and I look forward to the second book, knowing that if Ophelia's character development carries through from the first to the second book, the second book will continue to be as exciting and wonderful a read as the first.