Provided an arc on NetGalley by Penguin Teen. Thank you!

4 stars.

This book followed the previous Graceling books in the vein of a young woman thrust into a seat of power. She has people on all sides vying for that power and wanting to take advantage or manipulate. Lovisa as a main MC is one I enjoy getting into the head of. The way she was raised has left her feeling used, confused, and to have developed these insane expectations. She has an inquisitive mind and is always questioning things, which can lead to much drama. Overall, being in her head is very interesting and I did enjoy her POVs.

Overall, the book does start slow, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because I enjoyed being back in this world and seeing everything set up for the second half of the book. Which, by the way, really picked up. Also, we do visit some old characters (I won't spoil who), but the growth of one in particular was so exciting to see!
Plus, there are some very witty remarks which gave this book a touch of humor too.

Basically, it was a great installment to the Graceling realm and I was so happy to be back here after such a long time!