3.5 stars

I loved the premise, the entire world building and the tension between the Macklish people and the kingdom of Avaland. This started so well, but towards the end a lot of things were happening all at once.

I was hoping to get more background on the history of the two countries and more about the magic system in this world. There wasn't much character development and the plot seemed unfocused and rushed.

I loved the first encounter between Niamh and Kit. I saw so much chemistry between them, but I thought they developed feelings for each other too fast. There wasn't enough moments between them leading up to their eventual romance so it did feel too insta-love for me. I also wish we got more out of the side characters. I would've loved to learn more about Rosa, Miriam, and Sofia. They seemed so fascinating!

All that said, this was still an enjoyable read! I loved the characters, all of the magic and the Regency Era vibes this gave me. I will definitely be reading Allison's other books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.