This book made me think about so many more things than just its romance storyline. I found myself wondering what it’s like to be special. Chosen. One of a kind. What do princesses feel and what delusions they are surrounded by? I don’t know why princesses came to my mind since this book’s heroine is not exactly one. However, this reminded me of some “The 10th Kingdom” where Prince Wendell went through mind-changing metamorphoses from a posh, cheeky, indifferent noble to a courageous, honest, and fair king.
This novel’s main character, Poppy, is also the chosen one who’s forced to live all her life in solitariness. The few people that do surround her, the guards, mainly, treat her in a special way, the way it is believed she deserves. She is meant to stay in her room, not to show her face to anyone, no friends, no connections. From the very beginning, we see the inner struggle that she tries to hide at first. She’s a much stronger personality than the Duke and the Duchess think, as well as any of her guards. Any, except one.
Hawk is a guard who’s bound to ensure her soon Ascension. He enters her life to change every essence of what she believed in. It’s not a typical lover you’re used to. He’s mysterious, cheeky, brave, self-confident. This aura of mystery that is hidden inside him is what attracts from the very first pages of his appearance. Poppy’s faith is constantly put to the test, gradually she’s evolving as a personality and, sure thing, falls in love with Hawk.
If I was to find an ideal adjective for their relationships, I would call them smoldering. At first, you can’t even tell if it’s a genuine attraction or proud indifference, love or hate. Gradually, it becomes obvious, the characters are fully into each other. They like to tease each other, awakening the deepest emotions inside, only adding to the growing chemistry.
Apart from the love story, this novel impresses with an incredibly twisted plot. The fate of the kingdom the characters live in is under question. They need to decide which side of the two struggling clans they are on based on their true feelings and beliefs. This book contains so much food for thought when it comes to friendship, loyalty, violence, and vengeance.
I must mention, that there’s the second book I haven’t read yet. If you have, please, let me know in the comments if it’s better/worse than the first one, and if it’s worth reading at all. My impression of the first one is so good, that I would think twice before spoiling it with something not that decent.
This story is so different from what you can usually find in a local drug store. It’s not simply a love story, it’s a complicated, gradually developing drama of a young girl that has long been unaware of what life is truly worth.