A past incident burning bright with flames, a secret love bursting to be exposed, and a princess struggling to keep her country safe. The story follows princess Thanh who was sent away to Ephteria as a child and after an incident in which that castle caught fire, has finally returned home and given the job of being a diplomat. Ephteria’s princess Eldris has suddenly arrived and is determined to restart the romance between Thanh and her, and to finally bring Thanh back as her fiancee. There is only one problem, things are not as they seem, and Thanh is forced to face truths she doesn’t want to. The fire incident has burned itself into her mind, as Thanh and another girl, had escaped together, and for some reason the fire and the mysterious girl is on her mind. I absolutely loved reading this story. I loved discovering the pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world dipped with magic and political intrigue, and the romance, oh the magic of it all. I always love discovering more Vietnamese-esque stories and growing up hearing Vietnamese tales from my grandma has definitely made me always enjoy my culture being told in new stories. This was a beautiful story and I absolutely loved reading every second of it. It’s a short read, but its a wonderful tale and a perfect read. Definitely pick this up if you love magic, political intrigue, and forbidden romance. I always love reading folk tales and stories, and especially ones that have LGBTQ elements.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*