Yes. 1,000 times yes. Everything about this is a yes for me. The MC, the time period, the revenge plot…all of it. This book did not disappoint.

From the first sentence, I was pulled in. I enjoyed how it started and how Sally was stopping at nothing to get her revenge. But it started to get slow for me as the story picked up. I eventually found myself reading with my eyes and not my brain. I wanted this book to just highlight the entire plot instead of everyone else. Speaking of everyone else, there were so many characters in this book that it was hard for me to keep up. But anyhow, maybe I can revisit this book later on but I know for now it just didn’t work for me.

This book wasn’t for me. I felt like there was a really good plot, with good historical information. But the writing just didn’t work for me. I felt confused and had a hard time following.

Incredibly full of rage.

I remember learning about Sally when I was in fifth grade and had been naively confused as to why her story was presented as a happy ending. And maybe it wasn't, but I was ten and had not yet learned to read critically.

Here, Ina is glorious. Here, she is hurting, here she is planning. Here she is alive, she has a personality, and she is able to take risks and speak up for herself, and be herself, and it is beautiful and hurtful and a reminder of the horrors that her historical counterpart and the other "wards of the empire" went through. I think many of my students would appreciate this.

A well researched and profound revenge novel that brings an overlooked historical figure to vivid life.

This book is absolutely incredible. Smart, inventive, and full of raw emotion. I'm a huge fan of Sarah Raughley's, and this is one of my favorite books by her!