4.5 stars

L I K E S
» Katharine, Arsinoe, and Mirabella were all very original, individual main characters. As I read I found myself invested in all three of them, even though at the start I only cared for Katharine. Now I'm attached to all three, and don't know whose side to take.

» Each queen had their own family and troubles, giving each their own story while also weaving them together into one.

» The magic in this book was interesting and thoughtful. There are three main classes of magic as well as a handful of subclasses, and each had unique abilities.

» I thought it was interesting that Fennbirn Island was one island, but divided into cities for each main magical class with neutral areas for the queen and council. I also liked the way the island was described as living, in a sense.

» The story was very unique and enjoyable. I've read of fights for a crown, but none to this degree or of this nature. I thought it was a well-executed idea.

» Romance took the back seat. It was there, and it did complicate things, but it wasn't the main focus. I would like it very much if this happened in more stories.

» The friendships were very sweet and I rooted for all of them. Well, until one thing happened with one person toward the end. But I still like all the others, and I think the developments in them will be interesting in the sequel.

» The final chapters were completely unexpected, and I was hooked. I wanted to make sure everyone was okay, and the end completely caught me by surprise.

D I S L I K E S
» There were a lot of characters. Many were named once or twice and appeared throughout, but didn't actually do much of anything. I would've appreciated a character glossary, similar to the one in Falling Kingdoms. And if a character isn't significant, why do they need a name? Take Renata, for example. She's a council member there to oversee the ceremonies. She has no real role, yet she has a name for me to remember.

» The pacing in the beginning was uneven, and kind of slow. It wasn't too severe, as I still read this fairly quickly, but there were times when it wasn't as intriguing. Beyond the halfway point it was fine, though, and that's when I was really hooked.

» One character rescued another, and then the rescued character went unconscious. When they woke up, the rescuer laid close to help them both keep warm in the weather. This led to implied sex (though it was skipped over) and I thought this was unnecessary. They knew each other for a few hours, and most of that time only one was awake. That's extreme insta-love and I didn't care for it.

» There were a handful of moments that seemed especially dark to me, and I found a bit disturbing. They were uncommon and only amounted to maybe five, but I'm kind of squeamish and didn't appreciate them.

O V E R A L L

I really enjoyed this book, despite the flaws I found. The good far outweighed the not-so-good, and I need the sequel now, please.