Like many readers, I was drawn in by the lure of a wlw relationship in a highly traditional (read: patriarchal) society. With forbidden magic! And horses!

So of course I was pretty disappointed to discover that there's nothing really special about this story. The writing is straightforward, the plot fairly generic. I did appreciate the twisted humor of the protagonist being in a love triangle between opposite-gender siblings (how many books have I read with love triangles including two brothers? Far too many) but ultimately the things I did enjoy just weren't enough. The magic aspect felt downplayed; the horses and politics reduced to mundane asides of the aforementioned wlw relationship. The intrigue was somewhat interesting, I guess? But again, not really enough in the face of flat characters and what seemed to me excessive drama.