This was a fun read & well written. It definitely deserves 4 stars but gets a fifth as it was the author's first book. I've heard that after reading it, Raymond Feist asked her to collaborate on the Empire Trilogy which takes place in the midst of his Rift War saga. Congrats on a fantastic decision, Ray! They were some of my favorite books in the series & I liked them all.

The crux of the book is an ugly succession where our heroine plays a key part. She's tough, but very believable. She's feminine, but not a helpless princess. She's a real lady, in every sense of the word. Her motivations & actions were very believable. The story takes place over most of a year, but never bogs down. Lots of twists & turns as the plot unfolds, but very easy to follow.

The world is a fairly 'normal' one for a sword & sorcery universe. Obvious good & bad, along with black & white magical arts. Pretty much a medieval setting; courts, kings, councils & such. Tough decisions & key events build a lot of suspense & where most books would have stopped (midway through this story) the damsel, who is in distress & durance most vile, is rescued only to find that there is still a lot more to deal with. It's a wild ride.

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