Review Detail

I loved the sass and smarts of our main character, Vanja so much! She has been let down and even abused by people with power over her until she takes her own power by stealing the identity of her mistress, Princess Gisele, and then works to steal the riches of the nobles around her in a grand charade. However, she crosses the ire of a low god and gets stuck with a month to break a curse or it will kill her.
As an independent woman who has learned to trust no one, she keeps turning away from those with the power to help her. The slow breaking down of her defenses and making amends and alliances to save herself and the kingdom was brilliantly executed. Her enemy-to-lover story arc was believable as well as so satisfying. I also loved that the story didn’t end with a happily ever after but a catch me if you can because the best part in the relationship was matching wits and the chase. Also, it was satisfying because, with everything Vanja has experienced in her life, she is still not ready to believe that she is worthy of love so if they did go happily off into the sunset it wouldn’t have been faithful to who she is right now.
Final verdict: This story was based on The Goose Girl, but though I wasn’t familiar with the tale, I do not think that hurt my love of the story presented. This is a book that I am simultaneously ready for the sequels to see her continue to heal, grow, and be capable of a stable relationship while also wanting to reread the book again to enjoy the antics and banter. This book would claim a place on my shelf as being one of the best books that I have read this year and am ready to read more by this author!