Four girls ree hostages to fate in a war they did not create and one beloved daughter e raised as sisters and trained in fighting skills in the hope that they will one day unite the kingdom when they are old enough to rule. Or so the king says. All is not as it seems: The "sisters" care little for one another and have their own agendas. One is even a spy, passing along information to her mother in seemingly innocuous letters. Everything changes when the castle is attacked during an evening ball, and the girls need their wits and training to survive the political machinations while deciding where their loyalties lie. Although the novel suffers from a lack of world building, as well as rather one-dimensional characters, the nursery rhymes that start many of the chapters are an interesting dimension to the politics that infuse the backstory. Left in a way that assumes at least one sequel, this should appeal to readers who like the novels of Sarah J. Maas and Kristin Cashore.

Four girls, princesses from enemy kingdoms, come together after Rhea's father vows to protect them all after his victory. They are raised together, trained together, and fight like sisters together, but now that the kingdom has been attacked, the girls will have to decide if they are actually enemies.With a fast-paced opening, the rich world-building that Castner unravels in this fantasy novel will have followers rooting for the girls. All four narrate, moving the book quickly as readers learn about each of the girls through their quasi-sisters' perspectives. Some readers will take sides. Each girl is in jeopardy because none knows whom to trust. The movement keeps a break-neck pace, which makes up for the lack of a deep story. The book is about the personalities of the princesses and their internal and external battles, and although there are layers of understanding, the plot is simple. It is swashbuckling at its best, but the cover could be a deal breaker. Readers' advisory should focus on the relationships among the girls and their trustworthiness, like DeStefano's Chemical Garden trilogy.Alicia Abdul.