3.5 stars

I read this as part of my project to read all of the books nominated for a 2023 Goodreads Choice Award in the debut category.

Historical fiction isn't always my cup of tea, but I read this for the above project and was mostly pleasantly surprised. This also had a problem with flipping back and forth between timelines and POVs that I think slowed the story down too much, but I was ultimately invested in the characters and piecing together their histories. I do think that it's easy to guess where we are ultimately going, but that doesn't feel like it detracts from the story. This isn't the kind of story that thinks it's pulling a fast one on you, but that effectively builds you to a place where you can put all the pieces together for yourself. The politics of it all are a little on the nose, but it's balanced by bright characters.