There were many errors and misused words in the novel (using "manor" instead of "manner"). I would have thought that it would have been corrected, but it apparently had not been.

The pacing was too fast and did not allow for true character development to occur. The romance between Liam and Kelsey was rushed and didn't feel realistic at all. The characters did not seem to be real or life like at all. I found myself rolling my eyes at the grand gestures that the king would make so that he sounded more like an evil king. He would throw people across the room and it was almost comical. That's not how an evil king would act.

The writing seemed weak, you can definitely tell that this is the author's first novel. It could have used a few more eyes to look over it before it is published.

A magical world, a beautiful queen, an evil foe, a cast of colorful characters, and a young girl destined to rule. The relationships between the characters was definitely the best part of the story. As the main character comes to grips with situations and obstacles that she must learn to cope with or overcome, she grows in her own understanding and confidence.

I have a soft spot in my heart for young adult fantasies and this one did not disappoint! Looking forward to more from
Michaela Turcotte.

This was such a jerky read. It was like the outline for the book was published, but no one went back in and filled in all the subplots. The chapters were paragraphs long, and not pages long, and it just felt...fake. It felt fake. No way does Kelsey end up in a magical land, get whipped, assume that the person looking at her is a simulacrum of her mother and not her real mother, get rescued by a transporting sorcerer, and then be like, "fuck yeah lets take down these fuckers". She's 19. Her summer job was in a convenience store (I think? This wasn't actually really clear). She's clumsy and not in shape. And there is no lead up to her being pissed off and ready to fight. It's just like...the bad shit happens, and instead of recouping, having a melt down, sitting down to talk to her mom about what the fuck is happening...., she just skips all of those steps and goes into (really awful) warrior mode.

Kelsey is the heroine that I've always wanted to see. Someone who doesn't just blindly follow after some hot guy and let him save her. She wants to hone her skills and save the land. Except that it happens so quickly that it just doesn't seem realistic. Also, can we decide whether it's been 19 years or 10 years since Liam and Mila have seen each other? Let's not go back and forth. Sometimes it's 19 years. Sometimes it's 10 years.