Atwater always finds a way to suck me into her stories. I will admit that I wasn't quite sure which direction the romance would take, but the way she subverted the traditional beats of the Cinderella story really worked for me. It takes a while before the story really gets going, but I didn't end up minding that too much.

One of the things I appreciated is the commentary on classism. The author isn't afraid to show the darker aspects alongside the softer ones, and it makes for a great balance. I loved getting to see Effie grow, from a servant who is constantly mindful not to do or say the wrong thing, bottling up all the anger and injustice, to someone who let that righteous anger work for her and for those like her. I also really loved Lord Blackthorn—he's a slightly different flavor of faerie than we saw in the first book, mostly because he is trying to be good and help people. I continue to really enjoy watching faeries not understand humans, and the shenanigans that inevitably result from those misunderstandings.