sensitivemuse

Wow. I absolutely loved. No. LOVED. This book. So, what did I like about it? first of all, the setting. It’s got some influences of the Spanish court, but with a lot of fantasy elements as well. The fantasy elements are pretty good and unique there is magic involved but not your standard magic you would be used to reading in the usual fantasy novels. I thought the setting and fantasy elements were pretty different and unique. It’s a great blend of historical fiction with fantastical elements in between. There is magic to not too much to put off the anti-fantasy readers out there. The action and intrigue elements are also well written in this book. It certainly does add more substance and also adds a bit more variety to the reading.

Elisa is a wonderful character. She might not be the most sexiest one I’ve ever read, but what I loved about her is her inner strength and her intelligence is featured throughout the book. Those qualities she had within her made her character development very enjoyable to read. She certain did develop especially during the latter part of the novel.

The other characters in the books are also well done. I didn’t care much for Alejandro though I thought he was pretty weak (plus, the way he treated Elisa, especially after her change in appearance really didn’t sit well with me). Also, it seems some characters in the book just disappear from the novel. Yes, there is a second one after this, but it might help to find out what might have happened to them just so the reader won’t forget about these secondary characters.

Still, it’s worth the read. I loved the setting, and the nice blend of fantasy and historical fiction. I definitely recommend this to other YA readers who are into the fantasy genre.