Royalty. Magic. Love. Betrayal.
It's in their blood.
Alexander, Macedon's sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world.
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while keeping hidden her own mission: kill the queen.
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete with Hephaestion, a murder sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess, seeks the deadly Spirit Eaters to alter her destiny.
Blurb taken from the back of the book.
All credit to author Eleanor Herman and her publisher.
I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I started reading it a few years ago and put it down after getting through a few chapters. This year, I'm trying to read all my unread books, so I picked it up again.
Honestly, my biggest problem with the book is that there is simultaneously not enough happening and too much happening. The story is told through 7 different view points which can get overwhelming and slightly confusing and it kept me from properly connecting to any of the characters because I didn't spend enough time with any of them. At the same time, the action itself was very slow. With the different view points, I also felt that a lot of the plot was cut out of the book because the POV character at the time wasn't there to witness it, which was quite frustrating and some of the action felt rushed as well.
The redeeming factor of this book was the ending. The last 100 pages finally picked up the pace and that's why this book gets a 3.75/5 stars.
Another great thing about the book was the world building. The author is actually a historian, so the cultures and architecture and everything is portrayed really well. I also enjoyed all the intrigue within and without the court as well as the little dabbles of magic here and there, though I did see the main plot twist coming from a mile away.
Up until the last 100 pages, I was just intent on finishing the book, but now I will probably pick up book 2, though I will borrow it from my library instead of buying it.
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