Member Review

Demelza and Arris were born to very different lives. Demelza is the ugly duckling in her Veritas Swan family, who felt useless until her father discovered that her heart would grant him eternal life, which led her to run away to the one place he couldn't follow: Rathe Castle. Arris is the prince of Rathe Castle, cursed to die at the hand of his wife unless he manages to find his true and everlasting love. Luckily for both of them, a contest is taking place at the castle for Arris to meet a slew of lovely, eligible, hopefully not murderous, bachelorettes. They strike a deal in which Demelza will pose as a contestant and let Arris know who's really there for love in exchange for protection, except the more time they spend together, the more they both feel like there could be something more between them.

It's one of those stories where you know exactly what's going to happen, but it's written so well that you forgive that and enjoy the ride. The world the characters inhabit is magical in a way that feels familiar and entirely new at the same time, making what could have been cliché scenes feel original and engaging.

You can tell that Chokshi put in the time and effort to create fully rounded characters you can relate to, even when they're not going to spend a lot of time on the page. You're meeting characters who can transform into bears, mermaids, swans, and more, and you almost forget about it because you're so into who they are beyond that.

Overall, it's a fun and magical read that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the magical read!