I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Lada was a disappointment to her father when she was born a boy but it doesn't take long for Lada to prove to everyone that she was a fierce princess of Wallachia. Set in the Ottoman Empire, Lada's story spans several years as she and her timid brother Radu grow up in the shadow of a cruel and weak father. Eventually they are left in the care of the sultan where they befriend Mehmed, the Sultan's third-oldest son. As they grow older and they both develop feelings for the same man Lada has to hold on to her independence in a world where women are typically treated as nothing and try and figure out how fiercely she will hold on to those she loves while at the same time trying to protect herself.

And then her lips, from which nothing but poison had ever dropped, found his and were baptized with sweet fire, reborn into something new and wild.

This was absolute brilliant from start to finish and I loved every bit of it. This is set in the Ottoman Empire and I believe it's loosely based off of Vlad the Impaler but a gender swap (?), however it could also be looked upon as a fantasy setting if you are like me and have never really read anything or knew anything about the Ottoman Empire and that period in history. Lada was an absolutely excellent character to read about and follow. She was fierce, independent, strong, stubborn, loyal. I loved her. There were times I wished for her to feel a bit more or show her feelings more but I also got why she often built up those walls around herself. The fact she so desperately hid her period, knowing it would mean being forced into a marriage, broke my heart as I really felt her fear and anxiety as well as that rage that noone would force her into anything. And her response to how she was treated made me cheer.

On our wedding night," she said, "I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.

Radu was also a great character though i didn't love him as much as Lada. I really enjoyed the flux of their sibling relationship and how ti changed with time and circumstance from Radu needing Lada to protect him to times when Lada needed Radu to protect her from the sultan. Radu ended up growing up a lot stronger and independent than I thought he would though the childhood ache of wanting a friend seems to stay with him. I did grow irritated at him near the end and how he treated Lada after she and Mehmeh grow closer as he seems to fault her and keep Mehmeh in this golden light. I really identifed with some of the descriptions Lada had about her brother, the times she ached with that need to protect him from the world and that he above all others was hers. As an older sister, I definitely recognized that feeling!

I really enjoyed the setting of this really old Europe and Middle East and I enjoyed some of the emphasis on Islam as a religion and Radu's peaceful journey in finding God with Islam. I feel like it's a religion that's not mentioned a lot in books, and to see it mentioned here without it being linked in with violence or extremism etc.

Overall, just a fantastic book and I CAN'T WAIT for the next book!!!!