“Sometimes it felt as though I was fated to spend my entire life waiting.”

So I enjoyed this one because it really wasn't what I anticipated. I have to be honest it's a very slow burn novel. The author creates this world and you quickly find yourself attached to Hazel. The book follows her life and centers around her birthdays as they have always been a pivotal thing given her status as a thirteenth child and the goddaughter of the god of death. Hazel's childhood honestly made me so sad and I couldn't wait for something good to happen to her. I have to say the book really has the gothic atmosphere down from the start and you know not to expect anything happy. I loved watching Hazel grow throughout the book she becomes this strong woman who knows exactly what she needs to do.
The story takes a bit before it feels like anything happens but then we start getting all these gut wrenching moments where Hazel is forced to face what feels like an impossible task. Hazel adores her godfather but she is constantly searching for love in return. I think the story really picked up when Hazel was brought to the palace to help the king recover from a plague. We start getting a bit of romance at this point, but honestly I didn't feel like the romance was a huge focus in the book even though it calls itself a romantasy. I honestly didn't get romance vibes until like the last six chapters are so and then it just felt out of place. I was more entranced by Hazel and the political schemes that seemed to be playing out in the story. Overall this was a beautiful book.