This was a fun book about court intrigue and magic. Luiza is a maid in a poor aristocratic families home. Her parents are dead and her only family is her Aunt who is the mistress to a very powerful man. Luiza has a secrets. Not only can she preform little miracles she is also Jewish. Both a dangerous things in Catholic Spain. Things start to change for Luiza when her mistress notices her magic and gets involved in a plan to earn the favor of Antonio Perez and the King of Spain himself. She just has to survive. Make sure that her miracles are seen as coming from God and that no one finds out about her Jewish blood. She meets Santangel, an immortal being to her Aunt’s lover who is to teach her to control her powers.

I do love Leigh Bardugo’s writing. Luiza is strong as I believe anyone has to be in her position. Constantly having to make herself smaller to go unnoticed but also never forgetting who she is. Santangel at first is weary as anyone would be who has lived as long as he has as a slave basically. He has to obey but the more he gets to know Luiza more of his humanity starts to return. It has became a worn trope that the protagonist must enter a dangerous contest to that threatens their life but if they win they get a prize but what can you do. Either than that, I really like this book and I’m okay that it’s a standalone novel. Not every story need to be told over multiple books.