13+ (if you wanted you could read this one around 12, while i think a little older will probably enjoy it more, it has no content I wouldnt be comfortable giving to a tween.)
I love this book so much! I have already read it twice in the last year because it has all of the famous tropes like just one bed and arranged marriage but without any of the spice or even a hint of it leaning that way which I love.
Azora and Tarquin’s banter was amazing – I love that she didn’t hold back or pretend to be someone else for her mission! It makes the romance so much more realistic because Tarquin was falling for her not a persona. Also – the training scenes *swoon*!
Its fantasy romance but we also got a good dose of the fantasy side of it – the world, wars, strange customs and Phoenix shifters! I cant believe I haven’t mentioned the shifter part of it yet – we have this rich culture centred around fire and heat (even including spicy food!) because they are fire birds and the world just radiated of the page!
The ending – no spoilers! – was something I don’t think I have seen done before but I loved it so much! The plot twists and the romance and the gorgeous world make this a no-brainer 5 star!
World – 5/5 – yes! I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Plot – 5/5 – the twists, the turns! The everything! The romance and then the war and just everything between! I always struggle to talk about plot without spoilers so let me just say read it – you’ll be sucked into the whirlwind within a chapter!
Romance – 5/5 – honestly heart wrenching – I think my heart attually skipped around some of those twists but true to fantasy romance form I was 100% behind the couple the whole time!
Characters – 4/5 – I really did enjoy the characters, they aren’t usual for fantasy, an assassin and a prince but the reveal about the government and the way the kingdom is ruled was really interesting and I neeed more details (I think that is world tho and I’ve already gushed up there about that!). Tarquin I loved, Aloza was just the perfect FMC and the little cute fire baby godson of Tarquins stole my heart from the first page!
Romance Rating: Soft – perhaps a closed mouth kiss or two, no detail.
Violence Rating: Level 3 – Medium threat and danger. Medium combat scenes with injuries described non graphically. Death and violence are present and regularly part of the storyline and plot.
Content Warnings: death (past and present), betrayal (medium).
Damsel in Delight 
Leave a comment