- #1
This is one of my absolutely favorite novels so I feel a bit distressed that other reviews are judging the setting and characters by a different set of standards. Yes, that is bias talking.If people were looking for another calculating and manipulative male lead, then they should read other books. While I also love those kind of characters, Jesse as a male lead is someone who comes from a kind family and was raised in a loving household. I feel like sometimes people forget that choosing to be continuously kind is a hard thing to do. It’s that kindness in a space of harsh political intrigue that seems so rare and why people come to care for him.While many things appear simple on the surface, there are quite a lot of mysteries regarding why the plot deviated from the original story and a lot of plot twists I didn’t see coming.I would honestly describe the main trio’s friendship as almost romantic in nature, if not queer platonic because all three have interesting dynamics and personalities that play off of each other. As you read further you get to unpack the circumstances of why they are the way they are, and how meeting each other changes them further as people.
