Ceri Louise Reads

eArc received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Deets:

Author: Kate Heartfield

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: 17th February 2022

Rating: 3⭐️

The Synopsis:

Two Hapsburg princesses secretly learn magic, unaware of the danger it presents or what it will cost them. As they grow older and are sent to marry and rule across Europe – Charlotte to Naples and Antoine to France – their magical abilities bring benefits and problems, especially as their close connection slips into bitter rivalry. As the sisters find themselves on different sides of a magical civil war, Europe drifts ever closer to revolution.

Content warnings: death, including death of a child, violence, blood, war, pregnancy, miscarriage, misogyny, murder, sexual assault

The Review:

I wanted to love this book but I really struggled to get through it. I don’t like books being written in 3rd person present tense – it is so hard to get right and I think it really doesn’t work for historical fiction, even when it is mixed with fantasy. I thought the book could have been shorter without sacrificing the plot. I wanted to care about the characters, but I found Charlotte really irritating most of the way through the book. I had more sympathy for Antoine, especially as the inevitable French Revolution approached. I did like Lafayette’s cameo though!

There were aspects of this book I did enjoy. I thought the concept was intriguing and the magic system was very clever. Overall there were some good things, but I struggled with the writing style and didn’t care enough about the characters.