I had to double check my text threads with my best friend, but I was in fact live reviewing it for her as I read - since she was the one who asked I read it. I sped through this book, but not in the way that I feel I didn't absorb it. As there was much to absorb! 

Unlike Sarah J. Mass' other series that I typically recommend as "spicy with a side of political intrigue" this is definitely the opposite - "political intrigue with a side of romance" rather than spice. At work, Mass' other series "A Court of Thornes and Roses" is shelved in Adult Fantasy, whereas this series is shelved with Young Adult Fiction. The romance in this novel is much more low-key and slow burning, which I appreciated considering the amount of lore and political conflict that is thrown at readers within the first 10 chapters alone. Within those first few chapters (that I originally listened to on a road trip rather than read), I felt invested to the main cast of 3-4 characters and their well-being.