This was a short little book, but definitely worth the read. It's a retelling of the Greek myth Pandora's box, and does a great job smuggling that into the story without it ever being explicit. The story is retold in Europe, in probably around the fourteenth century, and revolves around a LOT of worldbuilding. I could almost smell the world at times. There was more wordbuilding in this little thing than there is in most full-length novels.

Now for the characters:
-Andora: I really didn't like her at first, but as she grew more desperate and humble, she got to be a character who I genuinely rooted for. Even when she did stupid things and made massive mistakes. I started out really not caring about her at all, but after a while... wow.
-Theus. I'll be honest with y'all and say that I really didn't like him at first, especially his attitude towards Andora. He had very dramatic mood swings and could be somewhat aggressive towards her from time to time (never in a physical way, though, more like an irritated yelling kind of way). But as you got to know more of his backstory and discover who he actually is, he got better. A lot better.
-Varos, Theus's older brother, was honestly my favorite character. He was a sweet guy with a heart of gold, and he was kind of stuck in the middle the whole time, but he was so patient about it all. I mean, I would have blown up at Theus and Andora long before he even started considering it XD
-The other characters were all really well-done (creepy, nerve-wracking, sweet, lovely, etc...) but talking more about them would be spoilery, so I won't go into that.

The plot moves quickly, and while some of the mysteries are easier to decipher than others, they are still incredibly well-done. Andora's personal story arc is a lot of the main plot, what drives it forward and keeps it going and develops all the rest of the characters, but most of the characters have similar arcs as they go from selfish jerks to wonderfully developed people.

Content: An arranged marriage that is initially kind of loveless, but that is a major part of the plot as the couple learns to love one another. Some kisses. A bit of violence during one scene. A character dies. A goat gives birth. No language.

I definitely recommend this book, and very much enjoyed it! Thank you so much to Abi for letting me beta-read it!

Abigayle has been a writer ever since her mother taught her how to hold a pencil. However, she devoted more time to reading words with her green eyes than writing them with her left hand. Inspired by a crazy dream at the age of seventeen, she set off on a journey to self-publish her first novel, Martin Hospitality. Since then, Abigayle has devoted herself to sharing what she has learned through the mediums of freelance editing, and her blog theleft-handedytpist.blogspot.com ... when period drama films are not calling more loudly. None of her successes would be possible without the support of her Savior, large family, and online community.

Blog:  http://theleft-handedtypist.blogspot.com/