First of all, do you see this cover??? STUNNING. It's probably the prettiest one on my shelves. I wish the naked hardcover had something special to it, but the cover alone is everything. 

The story has 3 POVs, so it follows Ffion, a hedgewitch who has rejected her coven, choosing to live on her own with her fox familiar because she doesn't agree with their practices; and Prince Taliesin and his brother, Prince Dafydd, who are sent on a mission by their father, the king, to determine who will be his successor. 

This was such a good time, I liked it so much! Admittedly, it took me a while to get into it. The beginning isn't super gripping, but it got better when the story started moving along and I spent more time with these characters. 

This takes inspiration from Welsh folklore and history, I believe, which I know nothing about so I can't speak on that. What I can say is that it was a beautiful, enchanting world and setting. I loved the magic and the commentary on abusing/destroying the earth for one's own gain. I loved that our MC goes against that but isn't preachy about it, it's just who she is. She has a connection to the earth and though she needs to use it for her magic, she doesn't have to abuse or destroy it. 

The whole conflict between our 3 characters and the king + the witch coven was okay, but it wasn't the thing that carried the story for me. I cared about Ffion, her character, her losses, and her growing connection to Tal. And later on, I cared about how she would navigate that along with the bond that was created between her and Dafydd without her consent. I cared about Tal, his motivations, and his character arc. I cared about Dafydd and the way he came to accept the role he didn't want but suited him perfectly. I also cared about the magic and what would happen to it. 

Overall, it was a delightful read with a nice ending and a lot of good banter and tension between the characters.