I found the concept of the book extremely interesting and THE COVER IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! However, I had mixed emotions about the book and just wished the characters just gave a little more. I am so grateful to NetGalley and the author for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall a pleasant read if you enjoy somewhat somber mysteries in rural villages, with some magic/supernatural goings on, or if you enjoy resourceful female main characters.
If you like people cuddling for warmth then there's a scene that might get your heart pounding, but I found the intrigue and mystery-solving to be more of interest throughout the story. Personally I was quite minimally invested in it, but it was fair enough and stood reasonably in the events of the book. I'll also mention that there is a romance. Mysteries are unfolded along the way, leaving you curious and wondering. There's a particular plot twist foreshadowed at the beginning that I picked up on immediately, but there were some further twists along the way I didn't predict. It makes for a plot that drives forward steadily, making you want to know whether the sister survives. So both Sebastian and Emmeline have strong reason to want to kill the beast, and Marie has strong reason to protect that beast which is her sister. To be honest I wish that she and Marie could have been friends or more, but tragically they did not get the chance to connect early enough in life. Her desire to kill the beast terrorizing the town stems from a desire for respect, and personally I respect that sort of drive <3. She's a huntress, having been taught by her father, and she has some sway in the village but ultimately is also not respected fully due to being a woman in a man's role. When Marie and Sebastian end up interacting, you can feel that class divide at times, though Sebastian remains fairly sympathetic throughout. I enjoyed that all of them were outsiders in their own way, Sebastian having lost his parents to the beast and being somewhat distrusted by the village due to his mother having dark skin that marked her (and him, to some degree) as a foreigner, and further distanced from them thanks to being the Lord of the village, somewhat responsible but also shielded from certain suffering. There are two other characters that act as foils, Sebastian and Emmeline. Her love and frustration for her sister felt realistic and nuanced, I love a character willing to do dark things to protect the person they love. I enjoyed the main character Marie, she was resourceful and cunning in her actions, with knowledge of herbology that she uses throughout. This story was a somber but well-put together story of sisterhood and mysteries.
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