Not as sophisticated as Cruel Prince and reminiscent of Hunger Games, but an interesting story and good start to a series. I try not to judge the first book of a series too harshly as they’re often slow to set the scene for the world building and the rest of the series, and this one was entertaining and interesting enough to make me want to get the next book. I love that romance is barely a subplot in this book and that it focuses more on politics. Very interested in what comes next for Mare.