I admit it all right? It was the cover that first reeled me in. And then I noticed the “Duchess of Northumberland” and grew more intrigued. Besides, the plot sounded intriguing. Now, the book, it seems, is the first of a series, and so I understand the reason it doesn’t seem complete but the thing is – the story itself is written so simply that many of the elements that I take for granted in other books are glaringly missing in this. I don’t know whether the simplicity in the world building was intentional or not but because the narrative lacked the richness and complexity that I am accustomed to, my enjoyment of the novel was less than it should have been. There were some gaping holes in the narrative also – why is Oleander so enamored of Jessamine? What is so special about her other than her beauty? And is her father really that one dimensional? The characters felt static and contrived rather than intriguing. I commend the idea though. It really does hold the potential to be extremely engaging. Maybe the next book will be better. Well, I hope it is.
