*3.5 stars*

I received an eARC courtesy of Edelweiss. So . . . I was really excited about this book. Jennifer Donnelly is one of my most favorite authors, and her Waterfire Saga series was once my favorite! However, this book was meh for me.

We start off with our MC, Sophie, hunting with the royals. She is our "Snow White" of "Poisoned" and is not really interesting at first. It is said that she would be turning 17 soon, however, the way she acted was unrealistic to a 17-year-old. I know it's fantasy and all, but it felt like she was around 12 years old, not 17. In addition, I felt like the whole story needed a bit more of . . . emotion or something else.

Not to say this isn't a good book - I read it in about 2 sittings. There were a couple of quotes that I felt so connected to, like:
1. "Nothing scares a weak man more than a strong woman."
2. "Love is a soft thing. It smells like woodsmoke and sounds like rain. It tastes like sugared apples. It costs nothing to give yet is more precious than a sea of diamonds."