Occasionally interesting and a quick read but overall a bit underwhelming. I loved the premise of this story - a devout protagonist haunted by (and eventually falling in love with) the heretical sorcerer she killed while undergoing a crisis of faith - but it just left me wanting more.

The beginning of the book had me hooked. I enjoyed Sleeping Beauty-esque curse and Rosamund Hodge's writing style worked well for a YA dark fairy tale story. Lia and Ruven's enemies to allies to eventual lovers dynamic was great and by far my favorite part (even if I did wish it was even more of a slowburn). While there are elements that feel familiar when compared to other YA fantasy stories, the book feels quite unique - I would love to see more YA books tackle theological themes!.

Ultimately I enjoyed how the story wrapped up but the pacing in the middle stalled quite a bit for me. Plot points and Lia's thoughts began to feel repetitive and I feel the story never went as deep as it could have. The side characters all felt very one-note and while there some interesting discussions of faith I just constantly wanted more. I was particularly underwhelmed by the lack of exploration re: Ruven's "heretical" beliefs and the Magisterium. The story gets pretty in-depth with the gods and saints of Lia and the Royal Family's religion but it never delves into the religion of the Magisterium other than there being a few descriptions making it clear it was analogous to Catholicism. I wanted to know more about how the two faith systems interacted/overlapped/contrasted and I wanted to know more about how Ruven's sorcery was connected to his own faith.

If you're looking for a YA fantasy story with a strong emphasis on religion (specifically how one's faith evolves when what you're raised to believe contradicts what you feel is right) this still may be worth picking up - especially if you enjoy a side of enemies to lovers romance. However, it just didn't quite live up to the high expectations I had based on its premise.