Tried this one due to the plague story aspect and the beautiful cover.
I was quite concerned about trying this one, since the synopsis makes it sound like everyone is a liar and a backstabber. Thankfully the lies center around survival and sanity, not anything so scheme oriented as to be unreadable. It does make it obvious that lies, by omission or outright, have become the norm inside the castle (surrounding 'Imogen') and making her more likely to fall back on bad habits when back in the wider world.
TLDR: seems like a "court intrigue for days" kind of a book with hints at romance, so if you like that, I'd recommend giving it a look.
Note: I am very curious how the Jewish aspects ties into this world, as we get glimpses but nothing concrete. They are a minority, presumably a religious and cultural one, but within this first look we get no in-depth details.
I was quite concerned about trying this one, since the synopsis makes it sound like everyone is a liar and a backstabber. Thankfully the lies center around survival and sanity, not anything so scheme oriented as to be unreadable. It does make it obvious that lies, by omission or outright, have become the norm inside the castle (surrounding 'Imogen') and making her more likely to fall back on bad habits when back in the wider world.
TLDR: seems like a "court intrigue for days" kind of a book with hints at romance, so if you like that, I'd recommend giving it a look.
Note: I am very curious how the Jewish aspects ties into this world, as we get glimpses but nothing concrete. They are a minority, presumably a religious and cultural one, but within this first look we get no in-depth details.