This was a beautifully atmospheric coming of age fantasy, with a tender sapphic romance at its heart that readers are bound to find riveting. 

The world-building was really magical and lush (with whimsical, regency-esque, Princess Bride meets Bridgerton vibes), and I adored Catherine Bakewell’s prose which was gorgeously poetic and unputdownable. And if you love the romantic chemistry of a tender, slow-burn relationship; that’s steeped in pining, and a quiet (but steadfast) affection that transcends words—then you’re probably gonna enjoy this. 

Particularly as we get such a wonderful cast of characters. My fave being Female Knight, Lope, who struggles with her loyalty to, (and unspoken feelings for) the naive Lady Ofelia, who she’s duty bound to protect; and her need to stop the shadow creatures (that have plagued the kingdom for decades and taken the lives of soo many of her friends.) This duality to her motivations and the struggle she endures, really added a complexity and depth to her that I found soo compelling. 

I loved the setting too — which takes the opulence of the royal palace, “Le Château Enchanté” and juxtaposes it against the (fear inducing) shadow monsters that stalk beyond the gates (and cause all manner of destruction and chaos.)

However, it was the mystery surrounding the origin of the shadows (and the King’s strange refusal to allow any mention of them), that really piqued my interest. The plot twists and reveals were all really good too, though I did manage to guess quite a lot of them. 

Tonally, this felt very much at the younger end of YA fantasy, so tween/teen readers are almost certainly gonna enjoy this one. If you love more mature/darker themed fantasy, however, then you might not enjoy this nearly as much. 

But, it does tackle some pretty interesting themes, such as: self discovery and overcoming fears, love (both romantic and platonic), power and privilege, and the highly relevant reality vs. Illusion; that I feel would be the perfect starting place for further discussions (into some very timely topics.)

Overall, this was a magically satisfying read that fans of lyrical, heartwarming storytelling (or the whimsy of Margaret Rogerson’s An Enchantment of Ravens) should definitely consider checking out. 

Also, a huge thank you to Harper360YA for the proof.