I really really spent a lot of time thinking how can I start this review but I feel like there’s only one way to describe my feelings:

F**KKKK I LOVE IT. 

Frankly, I did not expect to like this book. I was very skeptical because somehow I’m 10000x more picky about my books when I’m not feeling well. So in order for this book to amaze me, it has to hold something that  is truly my taste.

Amani is a very likable character, she’s the youngest and have two big brothers. From the beginning, you can see how modest and brave she is. The embodiment of the mature girl from the village. Until one day, at a “majoration” ceremony, she has been stripped away by the royal guards and bring to the palace.

This is where I almost rolled my eyes, I have a huge problem with YA stories where they randomly kidnap a girl and bring her to a castle and oh misery, I get to wear fancy dresses and eat all the food I want! But this one different. The purpose of her being in the castle made sense and the aspect I liked the most is, she is REALLY a prisoner. (Sounds a bit sadistic but you get what I mean).

I love seeing the evolution of the characters in books but most importantly I love seeing the interaction between the characters evolved. In that aspect, the author nailed it with Amani and the princess, Maram.

For a debut novel, I would say that I enjoyed the writing tremendously. It’s beautiful, intricate and so mature. This kind of style helped build a fantastic atmosphere. There are nothing fancy about this worldbuilding but as you read, you discover little details about the world that makes you go : ohh this is interesting. It mixes traditional and modernity.

 However, the book is not perfect. There were some issues I have to mention. At certain points, the pace was dragging so much that I had to take a break of the book and come back later. There’s a difference between beautiful prose and long detailed descriptions that go nowhere. It doesn’t make the story move forward. I feel like I’m stuck.

I was not so sure about the romance and not really convinced until the very end. So all along of the story I was feeling like they fell in love maybe too fast.

That’s it for today! 😀 Thank you to Raincoast Canada for hosting this blog tour, check out all the other blogs who participate in it as well! 

Release Date : August 28,2018