This book completely took me by surprise. Thank you to Raincoast for sending me an arc to review!

The writing is just mesmerizing. It's beautifully written, and flows very well. The descriptions really transport you to the setting, and it made for an all-round great reading experience.

I also loved how detailed the world and history is. The notes from the author section at the end of the book really showed how much research Melissa did to write this story, and how she took bits and pieces from mythology and history and the Shahanemh. I loved all the references to Persian culture too. The second I saw the word esfand, I knew I was going to like this book lol. Also Nog Roz being something that we sort of celebrate every year...it was nice to see stuff like this in a book.

Soraya is a wonderfully complex character. Seeing her struggle internally as she comes to terms with what's been done to her really made me feel for her character. It realistically portrayed what someone who's been used by a person they trusted, goes through. I liked seeing Soraya make mistakes and decisions that weren't so great, but then eventually learning from them. I also like how she grows as a character and begins to love herself and accept herself for who she is.

The ending was pretty perfect. I'm glad Soraya decided to leave the palace for most of the year. I don't know if I completely forgive her brother for the way he treated her, so it's nice that she can spend time with Parvaneh and the pariks who never turned away from her because they didn't like what they saw. Also, I looked up the forest the pariks' home is based off of, and now I want to go to northern Iran so badly.

Overall, a great read, highly recommend!