“Legend was the sort of wool that people willingly pulled over their eyes especially when it came to heroes.”

I absolutely ADORED this debut. I still cannot believe all its twists and turns. They were fantastic!
Hesina is a wonderful protagonist just trying to obtain answers and find her way to rule in court. She has a strained relationship with her brother, which was one of the shining stars for me while reading. There’s this stereotype in royalty that siblings will stab the other in the back, and I loved seeing Joan play with this idea whether she intentionally did or not.
The sibling advisors/ friends to Hesina, Lilian and Cayian, were another aspect that really left me scratching my chin. They both are such contradictories in and of themselves, and their love for each other and this kingdom is wild. Frankly, there’s so many avenues I could go down to talk about them, but alas, I can’t because that’d mean spoilers.
Now there is a divide in the culture between soothsayers and non-soothsayers. There is this intense hatred towards them, and it is very reminiscent in my eyes of witches in western culture (aka burning). It’s hard to witness, especially in Hesina’s POV, because she’s sympathetic to them. She tries her hardest to help and do what’s right, but she also cannot support them fully because many in her court and country despise them. It’s a main point of contention in the politics of this world, and it’s interesting to watch Hesina navigate it. Again, she tries her hardest to help, but there’s only so much a ruler can do since their hands are tied in politics.
Also I just need to put in here that the character Akira is wonderful. One of my favorite parts to this story will forever be him in the courthouse, and no, I’m not giving anymore context than THAT.
A few more things about this story is that Joan has an easy and beautiful writing style. By easy I mean you move through it like water. There’s no real bumps that make it awkward, and being a huge pace lover, I was content.
I think the plot twists will catch a few off guard. I certainly didn’t see any of them coming until right before or in the moment. They’re well thought out and add intense new qualities to the story. They’re game changers and good ones at that! There’s a part of me that really wants a prequel all about those who usurped the original royalty a thousand (I think?) years ago.
Something I actually loved about this novel is that Hesina is constantly growing. In the ARC I read, there’s this quote about wielding a knife, and over the course of the novel her opinion about it eventually changes. She truly goes through a whirlwind of character growth.
Now the only reason I knocked my original 5 star to 4.5 is because I haven’t really thought about this story too much after the fact.
P.S. JOAN HAS GREAT QUOTE GAME! Ughh I can’t BEGIN to tell y’all how many times I screeched at her powerful and beautiful quotes. I have a whole notes section dedicated to them.
Thank you to Joan He for a digital ARC, and then Albert Whitman for a physical one. All thoughts and opinions are my own.