Disclaimer: I received this from NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: March 12, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (gore, blood, murder, violence, animal violence, curses, witchcraft)

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.

But the ghosts that haunt Aurelia refuse to abandon her, and she finds herself succumbing to their call as they expose a nefarious plot that only she can defeat. Will she be forced to choose between the weight of the crown and the freedom of her new life?

Review: For the most part I thought this book was really good! The plot was intriguing and I really liked the magic system. I thought the world building was really well done and this book was very well paced. I felt like I could really get into this world if there were more books in the series.

However, I do have a couple of complaints about this book. I felt that the characters, aside from the main, weren’t that well developed. Some were actually downright forgettable until the end. I felt that the book didn’t explain all the aspects of the world and while it was built beautifully I still had questions at the end. I felt that the ending was rushed as well.

Verdict: A strong, solid release for 2019.