Synopsis:
Chrysantha Stathos has won.
By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.
A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face.

Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers . . . No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

Review:
I thought I was going to hate this book. Really, I had adored Alessandra and how she deviated from society, how she was willing to do whatever it took (and she was willing to) in order to gain the future she wanted for herself, and women in general. That being said, Chrysantha completely surprised me and I ended up absolutely loving her as well, in completely different ways. It was interesting to see how there are different types of strength and resilience, as well as intelligent ways to go about having freedom and the life you want. This book was just as endearing and heartfelt/heartrending as The Shadows Between Us, with different stakes, different magic, and entirely different characters. I enjoyed getting to see Alessandra and her King once again, and how well they compliment each other.

If you like enemies-to-lovers, strong female protagonists, and some interesting magic, this is definitely a book for you and I’d highly recommend it.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯