“She’d been so young when her family had taught her not to expect any affection to last. But she’d come here to fight for what she wanted—and she did still know that Caroline wanted her, didn’t she?”
Since the events of Thornbound, Juliana’s buried herself in her classwork, partly because she’s delightfully nerdy, partly because she’s overjoyed to finally be learning magic, but mostly because she’s worried over the state of her secret engagement to Caroline. Ever since Caroline’s aunt retired (in rumored disgrace), her letters to Juliana have been… not very loverly. By tradition, politicians (all women) are expected to marry magicians (all male, with one exception), no matter what their personal proclivities are. Cassandra – that one exception – opened up the new Thornfell College of Magic, and it’s only by graduating from there that Juliana can hopefully provide the clout that will let Caroline advance to the highest levels of politics. A ball at Thornfell is the perfect opportunity for them to hash this all out face-to-face… or is it?
“I’ve spent all my life fighting to please the people who were meant to love me, and I can’t do it anymore. I have friends and colleagues now, and they’ve taught me to value myself higher than that.”
This is definitely a story centered around misconceptions where one good conversation would (and does!) clear everything up. The fun is watching the angst and determination of the two women as they try to do what’s best for the other, with the added complication of a Puck-ish Fae helper. Bookish Juliana is perhaps my favorite of the two women, by a slim margin. Scorned and misunderstood by her family for her interest in magic, she’s finally found a place she belongs at Thornfell – and all that’s missing is the love of her life. For Caroline, the realization that her path to political stardom is lost – through no fault of her own – doesn’t bother her as much as it should, or at least nowhere near as much as it bothers her family. Watching Caroline figuring out what she really wants was lovely. It was also wonderful to see the group of women students from Thornbound as friends working together – in one case, to properly attire Juliana before the ball.
Overall, like the previous books, I absolutely adored this one and will be eagerly awaiting whatever comes next for the residents of Thornfell. Highly recommended!
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.