I thought this book might be on my Did Not Finish pile after the first few chapters, but by about a quarter of the way through, it got better.

The book starts with our main character, Vassa, escaping from her husband, Reid, on her wedding night. With only vague details of how she manages the task, we next find her masquerading as a student in a temple in a foreign city, trying desperately to find information on the magic she possesses, which she believes to be a curse.

Despite the awkward start, the story does pick up once the more political details of the plot emerge (after her husband Reid, who is an elected official in his nation of city-states, finds her again). I still struggled a little with Vassa as the main character, as she seemed a little thin in her motivations and reactions. She literally has never had a single friend in her life, and is highly confused when she makes her first one, yet she simultaneously had a lover she cared for- really? But Vassa is not a fool, despite her interpersonal naiveté, and her contributions to the political campaign of her husband were interesting, and the complexities of the interactions between the different nations and the city states were well-formed.

The main antagonist is Vassa’s brother, the emperor, who would prefer Vassa to die rather than threaten his claim to the throne (which she does simply by being alive and married). He hoped her magic would kill her, and married her off in the hopes her death would be an excuse to invade Reid’s nation. But instead of dying, Vassa discovers ties to her new home that she was unaware of, and a method of controlling her powers. As she realizes her desire for freedom might have changed into a desire for a home and personal bonds, she is forced to make a decision that will change the fate of two nations. There is clearly more to this story to come, so I assume another book is planned in this series. 3.5 stars.

I would recommend this book for fans of The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and The Light of the Oracle by Victoria Hanley.

The Serpent and the Wolf is due for release 21st November. You can order your copy on Bookshop.org