“Kestrel had bought a life, and loved it, and sold it.”

I am absolutely in love with this book. All the amazing, complex characters, the historical-inspired background, the political aspects, all the twists and turns and the heart-wrenching romance to top it all of...I just couldn't put this down and ended up finishing the whole thing in a day and a half (and only because I had to eat, sleep, work and other bothersome things like that).

Kestrel is my kind of main character - she's driven, loyal, compassionated and her main strenght is not her beauty or even her prowess with arms, it's her mind. She's clever, she's a brilliant strategist and can sometimes be ruthless if needed be and it's not afraid to make decisions and stand by them, no matter what others might think of her. I loved the relationship between her and her father, her friends and her nurse, as well as how her relationship with Arin developed.

Yes, despite being considered a fantasy novel, the romance is the main force behind everything that happens here and it's front and center at almost all times. Yet, despite not enjoying this kind of thing on books, in here it made sense and the story wouldn't work as well without this element. I was already so hooked into the world and the characters that I didn't mind much and it was honestly what made the whole thing so great. The book was a rollercoaster of emotions, and very bittersweet, but nothing hurted me more than the ending. The final chapter just hurt my heart and now I need the next installments to know what will happen with Kestrel and Arin.