This was such a strong story for the majority of book, I easily assumed that at the end I would be rating this 5 stars and adding this to my best of 2024 list. Unfortunately, the exit of two major characters at the end of the story not only ruined it for me, but really annoyed me as well.

The parts I did like had a bit of a feminist Knight's Tale vibe, as Cass joined a hidden community of female Knights, who take in lost girls and train them in secret, keeping their identities hidden during tournaments. I loved the scenes hanging around the castle with Cass and Lily, the simple, day to day life being the book's strongest moments.

What really got to me about the character exits was that the author loudly proclaims herself a feminist, and then uses a trope that has been discussed heavily for years, that people hate. And then on top of that, another character's exit after an unresolved betrayal felt so pointless, and they were such a necessary part of the story.