I really liked the plot of this book, and I’m actually a big fan of it being a one-off story and not the beginning of a trilogy or a series. I felt that the ending was strong and each character got what they deserved. There were some plot twists that I didn’t see coming and the progression of the storyline made sense and was easy to follow and get sucked into.

The historical element in this book was a bit lacking. The author mentioned some tension between countries but we never actually dove into that anymore than just avoiding certain areas for “reasons”. I don’t think it added or detracted from the book, but it’s worth noting because this is tagged as a historical fantasy and the historical element was lacking a bit. I also felt the character chemistry was lacking. The initial romance felt forced and we were told they loved each other rather than getting to see it for our own eyes. But aside from the romance, the tension between the main character and her mom felt forced and the lack of the connection with her father on top of that all just added to an overall lack of chemistry between any characters. 

This is clearly a debut novel and while it wasn’t stunning it was still a good overall read. I think the author will soon come into her writing and be a great fantasy writer - she just isn’t there yet.