I fell in love with Shazi and Khalid. Their story was interesting to watch unfold. Shazi was a take no prisoners kind of girl, and she had no problem telling her king, or pretty much anyone, what she thought and I loved that about her. 
 Khalid has his problems, and when you find out what they are, it's not hard to feel so sorry for him. He has the world on his shoulders and it's not easy being king. 
 Despina, Shazi's handmaiden, is amazing. She's brash and sassy and has no problems telling her queen she's a brat. 
 Jalal, I liked him, but I couldn't read him. He's a good guy at heart though and loves his family. All of them. 
 Tariq can go to hell for all I care. We'll see how this plays out in the second one. Overall, I loved this book.