really i’d probably give this 4.5 stars but either way it was amazing. i loved the character and the world. and although the plot wasn’t extremely complex it was enjoyable. this was a really easy read which was what i was looking for. i listened to it as an audiobook and would 100% recommend that. the narrator did an amazing job. one thing to note before deciding to read it is that there is something that may be very triggering i will mention it so scroll on if you’d like to not read that also it’s kinda a spoiler.

(TW) (and spoiler)
basically the main character is a victim of r*pe from her father. this is not graphically described. at first it is hinted at when they return to the castle. there is one scene towards the end which gets more intense. in this scene her father attempts to assault her again and basically grabs her arms to force her. before he can go any further (big spoiler) Dane managed to find out something was wrong and he stabs and kills him. so like i said could be extremely triggering although it isn’t terribly graphic.

(end of TW)
some of the interactions between Essie and Dane reminded me a lot of ACOTAR so if you liked that you will probably like this book. I was also reminded of Tower of Dawn as far as some of the politics that this world has which was amazing people i loved that part of Tower of Dawn. It also reminded me a little of a lesser known book called The Mark of the Dragonfly. this was mostly because of the main characters of both these books are young girls/women who are super tech savvy. so if u like The Mark of the Dragonfly read this book and if you like this book read The Mark of the Dragonfly.