This book is much more complex than I anticipated and I found it hard to rate. The writing is undoubtably beautiful, and the psychological journey this book takes you on is fascinating. The multi layered plot keeps you guessing the entire way through and continuously bends what you think you know. 

That being said, I found that the complexity almost went too far, the main plot itself isn’t as complicated as the characters and it starts to feel convoluted and a little forced at times. The pacing is somewhat confusing too, it feels like it’s a slow build to a surprising reveal, but the middle of the book seems to keep going without really getting anywhere significant and it starts to drag. The ending wrapped up the book very well, but I did feel like I had to push myself to get there. 

I like Catriona Wards writing style though and reading this intrigued me and made me interested in her other work!