loved this! as usual, i really liked all of ellis's chapters. she's really a very likeable main character. i some of the side characters who have the Sight (future vision) behave in such an eccentric way, mixing up past, present and future, often speaking elliptically or prophetically. i feel almost sorry for the king, who seems consumed by his gift that he behaves almost like a child. it was also nice to see another side of Grandfather.

my favorite secondary plot thread has to be the thread revolving around ellis's mother, the queen. she's a very complex character and i loved that so much. ellis remembers her as the mother who abandoned her (left her behind and went back to her country without a backward glance; never wrote a letter). carmyeon remembers her as the beautiful queen who insulted his mother. the king barely even notices her or glances at her -- one wonders why he married her. our main characters see her as this haughty/arrogant and unlikeable person, despite her beautiful appearance.

through other side characters' chapters -- julia, helton, llelas -- another side of her is revealed. she puts on a mask of haughtiness because her status is all that she has. she cares for her maids and protects them, because she has been treated like objects by powerful men. she thinks she's stupid because she can't read and she doesn't know a lot, even if her instincts tell her someone is trying to manipulate her, so she relies on her status as the queen to try to control situations or the conversation.

some of the moments in this novel that really struck me were her interactions with ellis, who is very bitter towards her (understandably so). but it really broke my heart when she revealed to her estranged daughter that she never wrote a letter because she can't read or write and she didn't dare to let anyone know; she learned how to read and write recently and all she's been doing is reading. she never thought to go back to get ellis because she is under her father's thumb. the father sounds like a real piece of work. he has one of her cousins held hostage and sends his guards to 'protect' her.

despite her standing, she's powerless and trapped. her husband, the king, doesn't notice or care about her. her father treats her like an object. she has no real allies and no real resources.

i loved the scene where she told ellis that she insulted carmyeon's mother because she saw how loved and safe the other was -- things she herself never got to experience. and so she insulted her because that was the only way she knew of dealing with how she felt, even though it was petty and stupid. these were such vulnerable confessions and i liked her very much for them. it was difficult telling all this to a daughter who wants nothing to do with her, but she's trying to mend the broken bridge between them. i was really happy that ellis thawed towards her in the end. this is someone who is trying her best despite how terrible her circumstances are.

also really loved the plot-line with llelas. ellis finally realizes llelas has feelings for her. she confronts him, and he admits that he stays away from her because he is afraid of becoming his father (he sees his worst self and his flaws in his father) and she reminds him too much of his mother. that's really powerful.

i really loved these moments. excited for the next book!