Beautiful tribute to Mozart's sister

Let's just talk about this cover for a second--it's the first thing that drew me to this book. It's beautiful. And so perfect to what we learn about the kingdom later on.

The story itself is imaginative--it's a look at Wolfgang Mozart like never before. I love that it's part historical fiction and part fairy tale and it's wonderful that Lu gives us a story of his sister Nannerl: her talents and her desires to be remembered for her music in a man's world. I'm sure many people, myself included, are largely unaware of her place in history.

But it's Lu's prose itself that kept me turning the pages. The story is simple enough--and unfortunately I've seen reviews that mention the disappointment that the world is not fleshed out enough. I don't necessarily agree with that assessment; I thought it was perfectly appropriate given the age it's aimed at. And to my original point--Marie Lu is an absolutely gifted writer. Her words flow like poetry. I'm glad this was my introduction to her books and I will gladly seek more out.

Thank you to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for a review. It arrived at my house on Christmas Eve and I couldn't have received a better present. This book was a delight. Be sure to check out your own copy when it releases in March 2020.