I saw LB’s review of this and thought it sounded intriguing enough asa premise that I bookmarked it so remember for later. I still need to read the second one in the duology but overall enjoyed this. I will say, I was trying to overcomplicate this one a little bit with my guessing so you know, this might be more enjoyable as a read to just let it happen.
As Mingshin lays dying at the foot of the throne at the hand of the man she loves, she has one last desperate wish – to set things right. She wakes up two years before, when she and her mother had come to the city to stay with her mother’s family and before she had started her romance with the prince she would make a king.
Now, having a true understanding of the motivations and character of the people she once trusted, she can work to save herself, her mother and their household and prevent a cruel manipulator from taking the throne. With her new insights, she also starts looking at the other court members through new eyes rather than through the eyes of Ren and what he wanted her to see.
However, not everything is as it was. Mingshin’s kingdom has strong rules against magic, and this time around, the neighboring magic using kingdom has sent an envoy to open negotiations. So even having knowledge of the players, Mingshin has several unknowns she has to work around to make sure the right person ends up as heir, and that she doesn’t find herself executed again or a victim of her uncle’s ambition.
Since Mingshin isn’t as wrapped up in her cousin, Ren and other matters, she becomes friendly with other members of the royal family (despite her initial desire to stay far away). I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop here but Chenli is less concerned with making the court more complex and instead is focused on the greater implications of the magical intervention and why the envoy is there. So overall, it was a fun novel – a lot of the trials and other pieces are familiar concepts but what helps make them unique here is Mingshin’s broader knowledge of events and how she is playing this round differently.
