The main character, Queen Beza, is the strongest point of this novel to me. Kaci Morgan does a great job of writing her as deeply flawed yet still easy to root for; her journey from cold and and disconnected to friendly and more open is really natural and well done. It doesn't happen too quickly, and its believable how and why she begins to change over the course of this first book. In service of this point, Beza's romance subplot is doing important work for her character arc and is also well written.

I also really like how the Book of Queens, an in-world object, ties together worldbuilding, character, and plot. As a device to drive the narrative forward, it is very effective. I'm always really compelled when stories are able to blend together worldbuilding, character, and plot so that you can barely untangle them from each other. So while these 3 pillars aren't so tied that they're un-tangle-able, its the Book of Queens that I see that merges them together the most, which I like.

My one criticism of the book would have to be its pacing. The story starts out slow and simple, without a whole lot happening, and it takes a while for the plot to get rolling. Once it does, however, things happen incredibly fast. I think it works, but it's still a little uneven; if you're interested in the world or characters, then a little bit of patience is in order while the plot builds itself up as well.

Overall, the story isn't anything perspective altering, but it's a solid story for someone looking to read a simple story about immortality and the struggles of balancing a monarch's duty with their personal lives of family and romance. I'll be looking forward to book 2!