I love Erin's writing, the way she takes these unknown stories and weaves them in a way that is so in what I've coined: *Cozy Gothic*. There's always an air of eerie and dark forces in the works and sometimes they're good sometimes they're bad. But it's always an amazing adventure, where trusting in her will take you somewhere you wouldn't think of going but never end up regretting-IMO ofc 💜

I'm going to spoil a lot so just a heads up
The time skips threw me off which is why its 4 and not 5 stars, I loved the retelling and how the god and their servants where protruded, would have liked to see The First or one of her acolytes but I get why they never showed up. BUT the time skip for the last birthday! I didn't realize the book was close to the end and was thrown off by the shift. I wanted the in between times a bit longer. ya know.

but I did tear up at the end when Merreck (idk the spelling) came back and stayed with her. In the end she did save kings and queens and thousands of people. She lived a full and happy life and helped people until the very end. I liked that Leopold became a healer as well, I was surprised that he was the one. I kept thinking she was going to leave and he was going to be king. I thought she'd be a constant in coming back to the castle then eventually giving into her desires and Leo being like fucking finally I've been asking for you hand for a decade, then they get married and she become queen. but to have Bells become queen was a.m.a.z.i.n.g I loved that she didn't have to live in fear for her lineage.