So this was actually WAY better than I thought it would be. The murder reveal! Did not see that coming. I also was so sure about who was Queen Margareets daughter was and I was very wrong. I think for a standalone, the characters were relatively developed. Not super detailed but enough for me to empathize and choose sides. Even the villain's "reasoning" or logic for their actions was understandable. I did feel like the world building truly lacked. Wasn't much structure to the science, magic or political conflicts--just info thrown in when it suddenly became a conflict. The romance wrap up at the end also fell quite flat for me. I thought it was sweet and then the end seemed very formal? Despite that, it's an enjoyable light fantasy that you can read and not worry about the dreaded mid-series cover change or seeing book 2 pushed back like 4 times.

Side note: I still love this cover.