Summary
Lady Everleigh has lived at Seven Spire palace since her parents were killed when she was a girl. As 17th in line for the throne – and a “mutt” with barely any magic – her life at the palace was less than spectacular. Queen Cordelia tolerated her. She sent Everleigh to any event where a royal was required, but none really wanted to attend. If there was a crummy task to dump on someone – like making 13 pies for a luncheon – it was dumped on Everleigh.
The crown princess was even worse. Vasilia was hot and cold to Everleigh. She ignored her or looked down on her as less than dirt, unless she could humiliate her instead. At 27, Lady Everleigh is ready to leave palace life behind, return to her family home, and live her own life.
She hopes to approach Queen Cordelia about that plan at the luncheon. But Vasilia launches a murderous attack on every other member of the royal line, and Everleigh barely escapes with her life. If Vasilia finds out she’s alive, she will destroy Everleigh in the most brutal way possible. Especially as Everleigh is one of the few who can tell what really happened the day of the massacre.
Review
This was AMAZING! I loved everything about this. The characters, the world building, the story. It was all a perfect fit for me! It is my favorite book that I read in 2018.
While the reader knows from the book summary that the massacre is coming, the build up is slow and deliberate. The author doles out great details about the characters at Seven Spire and the worlds of politics and magic so that when the action kicks up, you already have a good handle on the situation and you care about the people.
But at the same time, the author doesn’t tell everything. There are great details sprinkled throughout the whole book – and some questions are still unanswered at the end to drive readers to book 2 (Protect the Prince – summer 2019).
The magical world in this was fascinating. I loved Everleigh from the start, and the friends she makes along the journey are terrific. I’m a huge fan of displaced royalty sorts of stories, and this is the epitome of everything I love about them. I can’t wait to read more! Highly recommend! (Some language)