In the land of Varenia, girls are brought up to believe that beauty is literally everything. If you are not the most beautiful girl, eventually chosen to marry the Ilarean prince, you are essentially nothing. When Nor earned a small scar on her cheek in an accident when she was young, she believed she would be lucky to find any husband. But when her sister, Zadie, was badly injured and scarred, Nor became the chosen princess. But is being a princess everything she dreamed?

When I read about Varenia, I pictured the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, with huts on stilts, thatched roof and all. In clear contrast, the mountain of New Castle was gloomy and claustrophobic. Rutherford did a wonderful job with world building and describing the locations, and really made me feel as though I was experiencing the shock of leaving home and the castle right alongside Nor.

I felt that the premise was well done, original and thought out. I really enjoyed the times spent with Talin, and of course the way Ceren behaved made me shudder more often than not.

Where the story falls short for me is the ending. It felt very rushed compared to the rest of the story. I would have liked to see it play out more on the pages, rather than the quick wrap up we received. I do hope that there will be another book in the future, as I'd love to get more closure on the events that were laid out in those final pages. I feel there is a lot more to experience in Nor and Zadie's story, and would definitely continue reading if it becomes a series. Overall, I still enjoyed the book enough to bump up the 3.5 star rating I'd like to give to 4 stars, with the hopes that there is more to come.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.