3.5/5 stars 
 The Queen of the Tearling's meets The Hunger Games (with a sprinkle of Game of Thrones) 
 With the sequel bring called The Reluctant Queen, I figured out how the story was going to end once everyone was introduced. I liked that the character growth took place over a long time but I didn't like how the author dealt with the time jumps (it came off as lazy). I think the author's writing needs to evolve and improve a bit because I found the world and character descriptions leaving me wanting more--i was convinced this was a debut book from the writing style and was shocked find out I was wrong. I enjoyed the world and magic a lot as well as there being romance but it not being the focus. I kept picturing the spirits as the Cornish pixies from the Harry Potter films for some reason. I am very curious to see how the main female deals with her "weak" powers since she seems to be the most productive and successful when instructing others how to use their magic...and their magic was far more powerful than hers. The author is definitely not afraid to kill people off which I actually kinda love. I'm curious to see where the series goes--not a lot of series have a plotted and successfully executed royal assassination.