Publisher: Tor Teen, March 2 2021

Format: ebook

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a vintner’s daughter, has no idea her hidden magical power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king’s second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir—and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.

My Review:

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: a dark YA fantasy, strong female character, fun world-building.
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The story revolves around Maralyth, who believes she is just a vintner’s daughter, but she has special magical powers, and because of this, she gets swept up into a plot to overthrow the monarchy and get rid of a corrupt king.
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I really liked the world-building and the magical elements of the story. I liked that magic was not common but marked you as being part of a specific group of people meant to rule, which I thought was cool. I also liked how dark the magic was.
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Maralyth was cool and interesting, but I also really liked the character of Alac. He wants what is best for the kingdom and doesn’t want to play the royal games.
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Overall this was a fast-paced and engaging book.