Thank you to The Write Reads for organizing and inviting me to participate in this blog tour. Thank you, Penguin, for providing me with a copy of this book through Net Galley and tour materials in exchange for an honest review.

I would say that words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book, but since this is a review, I’m going to have to try to use my words. I am so glad that this book came into my life because it contained the perfect amount of magic and whimsy. I loved the characters and the setting, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

The first thing I want to talk about is the characters. I loved how Lottie and Ellie are like day and night, and I liked how they balanced each other out. I liked how the characters fell into each other’s lives and how they could help each other. I loved watching their friendship grow, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops and if it develops into anything more later in the series. I also really liked Jamie, and I thought Lottie, Ellie, and Jamie made an excellent trio.

I absolutely adored the setting of this book. I generally enjoy books that take place at boarding schools, and Rosewood Hall is an exceptional boarding school. I loved how exclusive it is, and I love that you can tell that it’s full of secrets. I’m looking forward to learning more about the school and its secrets as I read the rest of the series. I also like the world-building in general in this book; I like the idea of a mystery princess that no one knows anything about. I like the idea of the secret world involved with protecting the princess.

I liked the mystery aspect of this book. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was behind the mysterious messages that Lottie was receiving. I also enjoyed the puzzles that Binah, one of the side characters, created for Lottie and Ellie to solve. I thought all of the puzzles and mysteries added lots of twists and turns to the story, making it very enjoyable.

One last thing I want to talk about is Lottie’s mother. Early on in the book, we learn that Lottie’s mother passed away years ago. Later on in the book, there’s a scene where Lottie is trying to hold herself together on the anniversary of her death, and I found this scene to be very relatable. As someone who lost their mother at a very young age, I’ve struggled with anniversaries and trying to keep myself together on that day. It was comforting, to a certain extent, to see that kind of grief on the page and to be able to relate to it.

Overall, I loved everything about this book. Lottie and Ellie are such wonderful characters, and I cannot wait to see what their next few years as Rosewood Hall brings them.