Princess Elspeth or Ellie, has never wanted to be a princess. After she was hidden with a family who didn’t want her Elspeth has tried everything in her power to run from her fate. No matter where she tries to escape to, the man who saved/abandoned her, Sainte Nytestorm, will find her… always. But the time has finally come for Ellie to come to terms with the fate the gods have bestowed upon her. She must overthrow her murderous brother to become . With the help of Sainte, Ellie must prove to the people of Wynterborne and herself that she is prepared to be the queen she was always meant to be. Will she be able to pass the Rite of Favor or will she have to kill her brother?
Overall rating 4/5
What? No…..I need more! The world building and character development had me sucked in from the very beginning. The trials and tribulations that Elspeth had to overcome, and the danger that her stubbornness put the ones she loved in was palpable. I do feel as though Ellie’s stomach could have been a character in and of itself with the amount of times she had stomach troubles (which I could relate to). I do wish there was a little more spice to the slow burn romance of Sainte and Ellie. I think we could have done without the epilogue, so we could have had that wonderful build up and conclusion in the next book. I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one… hopefully. I so hope Layna can find love and happiness, my heart broke for her.

*Thank you to M.A. Frick for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.