3/5

I do first want to say that this is a prequel novella and I have not read the work that this prequel is based on. You don't need to have read it to read this book, however I do wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I had done so.

I thought the writing in this story was woven beautifully, I loved the glimpses of this world that we were allowed to see, however I always wished for more. This in particular I feel could've been rectified if I had already read the novel set in this world. A novella felt too short. We moved quite abruptly through the events of the story and I constantly wished for a slower pace.
I also found the characters a little lacklustre because of this, I felt that we were never truly allowed to sit with them and get to know them fully. There were some that held promise, but I never connected to them in the way that I wished to.

My primary thought after reading this is that I wish I had read Dark Woods, Deep Water, the novel that this prequel stems from, first. However, I did find the author's writing to paint a very poetic picture, I just couldn't connect entirely to this particular story as it felt too short and too rushed. I wanted more time to see more of the intricacies of the court politics, I wanted more cunning and more scheming. Whilst I do think the main character grew a lot from the beginning to the end of the story, I ultimately still desired more wit and cleverness from her actions.

Thank you to the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review.