jetsilver's review
3.0
I'm not sure what I thought of this. The main character had an original and compelling voice, but on the other hand, all of the characters behaved erractically. I couldn't work out anyone's goals or motivations, and that made for an unsatisfying read. I didn't feel I knew who any of these people were by the end of the book, which makes it rather difficult to care what happens to them.
celiaedf12's review
3.0
I enjoyed this tense, dark fantasy, about Matilde, the heir to the throne, and the considerable political upheaval that takes place in her land. I was a bit concerned that the story was edging towards a falling-in-love-with-a-captor thing, which is one of my pet hates. It's ends ambigiously - there's clearly a lot more story to come, and ends in a fairly dark place - and so it's not clear whether Matilde's feelings (whatever they are, and even she is not sure) are the result of a sort of Stockholm syndrome.
I like the uncertain nature of this novel, Matilde's desperate attempts to regain and secure power, the desperate sense of how much is at stake. It's not a cliffhanger ending (not a happy end, but not really a cliffhanger) which is nice in a series where you have to wait for the next book to be published.
I like the uncertain nature of this novel, Matilde's desperate attempts to regain and secure power, the desperate sense of how much is at stake. It's not a cliffhanger ending (not a happy end, but not really a cliffhanger) which is nice in a series where you have to wait for the next book to be published.
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