Born in a matriarchal pagan village, Évike is an outcast due to her mixed heritage and her lack of magic.  When the Woodsmen come to claim a village girl for their sacrifice, the villagers lie about her abilities and send her with them.  The small group of Woodsmen and Wolf-Girl is soon attacked, leaving only Évike and the prince, Gáspár alive.  Mortal enemies, they must form a temporary alliance to stay alive, one that soon extends to defeating Gáspár's brother's attempts to steal the throne.  When they reach the capital, a family connection will strengthen Évike's power even as it puts her in more danger, and the two must rely on old connections to defeat the evil that threatens them all.

I really, <i>really</i> wanted to love this book.  Eastern European folklore is having a real moment right now, but the combination of Jewish tradition and Hungarian history was something I hadn't seen yet.  Unfortunately, while this book has a super compelling beginning and start, the middle sags almost unbearably.

It's clear that Reid does her best thinking when it's about religion and identity, which permeates 0-30% of the book, and then 60-100%.  It gets so far off track in that middle section, though, that it struggles to refind its footing at the 60%, and doesn't get back into the swing of the story until 75%ish.  The politics are lost in the lore, and I honestly think we could have skipped Évike & Gáspár's whole road trip for some more political action, which is not something I think I've ever said before.  So much is left to the last 13% of the book that I really didn't see how it could be solved without a sequel, but it is, if a bit too neatly.

Some really gorgeous prose is studded throughout the book, even where the plot is fumbled, which makes the reader feel like they're stumbling on treasure in the tougher parts of the book.  I'll pick up the next book by Reid, even if it won't land at the top of my TBR.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!