Date started: June 16, 2017
Date ended: July 2, 2017
Stars: ★★★
APRIL PICK FOR THE ROYALS BOOKCLUB
So, this one is a tough one for me, because I liked pieces of the book but not the entirety of it. There were multiple aspects that made me happy to see in YA fiction but other parts that made it difficult to continue reading.
For one, I really liked the main character, Freya, for the most part. She is smart, pretty, a scientist, and a reader. She has a pet cat she would literally die for (who can’t love a girl who’d do anything for her pet?) and has social anxiety. These are not the norm for female characters especially in a fantasy novel. Thus making it unique and fresh. She is also the 23rd in line for the throne of the kingdom which becomes a important detail when everyone before her dies from a poisoned cake. Yes, sadly you read that right. Cake. Poison. WHAT IS LIFE?!
This is where the meat of the plot should start. I say should because the reader is promised murder, romance, mystery, and betrayal. While all these lovely things do happen, the plot was so slow on the uptake. I felt like I was reading in circles because the same things would continue to happen (like poisoning delicious food that only the devil would think of using as a death trap). Freya running around all of kingdom-come to find said murderer, oh, and without guards because she’d give them the slip. It sometimes wasn’t believable. Yes, I know with the label fantasy it’s not supposed to be believable but even still. The ending spoiler was mind boggling (both good and bad).
Overall, I don’t regret reading this book, it was a nice break from reality but it was a hard read. I had to continue to push myself to pick it up and not to give up on it. I don’t think I would recommend this to most people, maybe if they were looking for a light and cute fantasy. My personal opinion is those two words should really not be used in the same sentence.
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