Brienna only has a few days left until she “graduates” from her school and receives a contract to work for a patron. Only she might not pass. And she might not get a patron. That’s her sole focus until she finds herself with valuable information that could be used to overthrow the king of the neighboring land and put the rightful queen back on the throne.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I read some reviews a while back that didn’t have a lot of good to say about Rebecca Ross’s debut novel, but I don’t know what they were talking about. I really liked this. I found the description on the back of the book to be somewhat misleading, but I’m happy with how things worked out in the story.

From the very beginning, I couldn’t help but feel for Brienna. She didn’t really feel like she belonged, and her future was way more uncertain than the other five girls at the school who she considered her sisters. I was totally caught up in the “school” aspect of the story and whether or not she was going to pass. And what she would do if she didn’t pass. I also loved the relationship (but not) between Brienna and Cartier, her teacher. How scandalous! Not really.

I thought the transition between Brienna being a student and helping with a rebel cause to overthrow the king of the neighboring land was done really well. I was confused at where it was going from the start, but it all made sense once I got there. I loved the familial relationships that Brienna built with the Jourdains and the other people involved in the rebellion. I also loved the ending and how everything worked out. I can’t wait to read the next book.